Students remember beloved coach who died of coronavirus

NORTH FULTON, Ga. — Students and parents are honoring the legacy of a Sandy Springs coach who died this week from complications of coronavirus.

Ron Hill, who worked for Mount Vernon High School, died last week.

On Saturday, Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik talked to several people about how they want to remember him.

Student Maggie Sims wrote a song in Hill's honor.

“He was basically my second dad, and he meant the world to me, and he meant the world to my entire family," Sims said.

Students said Hill had a larger-than-life personality and was a mentor who pushed students to be their best.

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"He was honest, he was truthful. He was just a great person," one student said.

Maureen Pierce's four kids attend the school in Sandy Springs.

“It obviously hit very close to home when this happened, and it was so sudden,” Pierce said. “I think everyone’s having a really tough time.”

Pierce's son Nick Pierce started a petition to rename the school's football field after Hill.

“Everyone was just shocked about the news, and everyone was just talking about how we could honor his name," Nick said. "I went online and created a petition, and honestly, it did way better than I thought it would.”

So far, the petition has more than 4,000 signatures. Students also raised thousands of dollars for Hill's family through a GoFundMe.

“Coach Hill was just a light to everyone,” Nick said.

The face of coronavirus: Grandmother of 4 dies days after contracting virus at church Elizabeth Wells, 65, of Rome, died on Wednesday due to complications from the virus.

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