A “perfectly healthy” father of six from Texas died Thursday from the coronavirus — two days after he received his positive diagnosis, a report said.
Adolph Mendez, known as T.J, was 44-years-old.
The New Braunfels, Tx., resident was a beloved Kindergarten teacher at Oakwood Church who had a clean bill of health before catching the coronavirus, his family told the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.
“You hear that the people who die are older, or have previous health conditions, but he was neither and the virus took him down hard,” Mendez’s wife, Angela, told the paper.
“It can happen to anyone, it’s not just a story that happens to people across the world. It’s here and it’s real and it can kill anyone, just like it did my husband.”
The couple have three boys and three girls.
One of their daughters, Brenda Johnson, described her father as “perfect healthy.” She also recounted how he was a fixture in his neighborhood.
“He was kind. He was patient. He cared about others,” Brenda told the paper. “He loved his family so much. He was very involved in our community and our church.”
She said her father’s students referred to his as “Mr. Sticker Man” since he would exchange stickers with them every Sunday.
“He was very loved by all,” Brenda added.
