North Huntingdon pastor relied on faith as covid claimed his mother
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series highlighting five people whose lives were reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic.
By the time Glenn Meyers entered his mother’s hospital room at UPMC East in October, he knew it would likely be the last time he saw her.
A covid-19 diagnosis for 85-year-old Eleanor “Jane” Meyers had caused her to quickly deteriorate, leaving her unconscious by the time her son arrived.
“She wasn’t on a ventilator or anything like that, but she was clearly very deeply sleeping. And soon after that, they started pain medicines and things like that,” said Glenn Meyers, 54, of North Huntingdon. “She looked comfortable, which I appreciated.”
He did his best to ensure some of her final moments were filled with lifelong passions of music and religion, singing songs such as “Amazing Grace” and “Blessed Assurance.”
The virus quietly claimed Eleanor Meyers’ life the morning of Oct. 25.
“I’m completely convinced that she is completely whole and well and satisfied with the promises that Jesus made to her are fulfilled, so I have no concerns for her,” said Glenn Meyers, who is the pastor at Ardara Evangelical Presbyterian Church, located in the North Huntingdon neighborhood of Ardara. “Of course, as a family, we’ll miss her, but this is how her 2020 ended. And that’s not a bad thing.”
Outbreak at nursing home
Eleanor Meyers was a resident at Transitions Healthcare in North Huntingdon for about four years. The facility, which was able to seemingly ward off the virus throughout the spring, saw an outbreak in October when they announced 60 residents had tested positive for covid-19.
State data from Dec. 8 show that throughout the pandemic, a total of 94 residents tested positive for the virus, along with 53 staffers. Seven residents have died from the virus.
The virus, which has upended day-to-day life throughout the country for much of the year, has largely targeted nursing home facilities, claiming the lives of thousands of residents and employees. In an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus early on, Transitions banned visitors, a tactic that is still in place as the facility works to control the virus.
For Glenn Meyers, those efforts meant he was unable to see his mom for roughly eight months other than through phone calls and video chats.
As cases started to spread in the facility, Eleanor Meyers remained relatively healthy, as her only health issue was diabetes. But Glenn Meyers said he began to feel a sense of helplessness.
“There’s really nothing you can do,” he said. “The people who are best positioned to help her are in place to do that; they have a plan in place. But nothing that as family you can contribute changes what may happen. That’s one of the harder things, the sense of helplessness.”
Soon after, Glenn Meyers received a call from the nursing home saying his mother was exhibiting covid symptoms and was being taken to the hospital.
“I had to make the decision, difficult, whether or not to visit, knowing that she wasn’t at that point responsive, and going to see her would mean quarantining from my family for 14 days,” he said. “But my wife and I did make the decision that I would go in. And that was on the Friday night, through the middle of the night, and I spent some time with her.”
Mourning in isolation
After her death, Glenn Meyers was left to mourn in private, isolating from his wife, Heather, 51, daughter Grace, 15, and two foster sons, Dylan and Jacobe. Along with his remaining five kids — Keziah Freer, Rhiannon Wiser, Payden Meyers, Isaac Meyers and Sarajane Meyers — his family was able to attend a private viewing followed by an interment service.
To keep his family safe while waiting for covid test results, Glenn Meyers attended the private viewing only after his family had been through and social distanced at the cemetery.
He eventually received a negative test.
Glenn Meyers remembers his mother as a single mom who raised her son with the help of his grandmother. Eleanor Meyers had a long career as a social worker, working for 25 years at the YMCA Youth Shelter for Delinquent and Dependent Children in Greensburg.
She raised her son in the Ardara Evangelical Presbyterian Church, where she was an ordained elder, a path that led Glenn Meyers to his current position. Eleanor Meyers also spent time painting with the Norwin Art League and traveling to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
Despite the circumstances, Glenn Meyers said he feels no animosity toward the nursing home and is at peace with the situation.
“I think that’s only possible because of faith,” he said. “There’s so much about the world that has changed so quickly that your faith teaches you that some of that is to be expected. It’s usually not this quick, but this world is changing, and this world is about change. But God is not. He’s the same yesterday, today and always.
“That’s where faith really matters. Because you have to try to trust Him that despite everything that you see, all of the mess that is beyond your control, it never gets beyond His control.”
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.