Georgia high school senior, stepfather die of COVID-19 1 day apart

TATTNALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia high school senior died last weekend after a battle with COVID-19 just one day before his stepfather also died of the virus.

Brandon Marsh, 18, went to Tattnall County High School near Glennville in southeast Georgia.

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Family said in his obituary that he died Aug. 7 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah.

“Brandon lost his brave battle due to COVID, but not without leaving an impact on every loved one he left behind with his brilliant mind and gentle soul,” family members wrote.

Marsh’s stepfather, 61-year-old Jackie Jerome Barrow, died on Sunday after a battle with COVID-19.

“Jackie was a hardworking man that you could always find doing something in the outdoors,” family said. “He enjoyed fishing and especially spending time with his family.”

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Barrow and Marsh were both laid to rest in a joint funeral Thursday in Glenville.

Students returned to school in Tattnall County on Aug. 2. The district reported 80 new cases of COVID-19 last week. Masks are optional in the district.

Tattnall County currently has a COVID-19 positivity rate of nearly 26%. Around 35% of people hospitalized in the region are battling COVID-19.

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Tattnall County has a population of just under 25,500 people. Vaccination rates in the county are below 20%. It’s unclear if Marsh and Barrow were vaccinated, but Barrow’s daughter made a plea on social media for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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