‘Always thinking of other people.’ South Carolina teacher, soccer coach dies of COVID
A popular South Carolina middle school teacher died Tuesday night after a long battle with COVID-19.
Andrew Swift was diagnosed with the coronavirus in late August after battling it at home for several days, Fox Carolina reported.
He was taken to the ICU and placed on a ventilator shortly after, WYFF 4 reported.
Andrew’s wife Hayley Swift did not want to talk about her husband’s vaccinated status, “saying it would only serve to divide people when she wants them to remember his humor and his love for people,” Independent Mail reported.
Andrew was a sixth grade teacher at Belton Middle School, according to the outlet. He was also an assistant soccer coach at Belton Honea Path High School.
“People are coming out of the woodwork, saying he helped them with this or that and I didn’t even know,” Swift told Independent Mail. “I knew he is always thinking of other people, he is a dedicated father who wants to provide for his family, he’s a dedicated teacher.”
Andrew’s students also said he was “a beloved teacher and loved each and every one of his students,” WYFF 4 reported.
He leaves behind two young children, Anderson School District Two said on Facebook.
Hundreds of teachers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, Education Week reports.
Recent deaths include a 38-year-old middle school math teacher from California who passed away just weeks after his wife died from the virus, McClatchy News previously reported. The couple had five children.
And a 40-year-old Illinois teacher who planned on getting vaccinated before the school year died in September “after a two-month battle with COVID-19,” McClatchy News reported.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 7:08 PM with the headline "‘Always thinking of other people.’ South Carolina teacher, soccer coach dies of COVID."
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