DC mayor says sister died from COVID-19

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) sister, Mercia Bowser, died Wednesday from complications related to COVID-19.

“Mercia was loved immensely and will be missed greatly, as she joins the legion of angels who have gone home too soon due to the pandemic,” Bowser said in a Wednesday statement shared with The Hill.

“Mercia was a loving daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She worked tirelessly for children, the elderly, and those with behavioral disorders until her retirement and beyond. She counted many friends and fond memories of her service to Catholic Charities and the DC Office on Aging,” Bowser continued.

The mayor also thanked the doctors and nurses at Washington Hospital Center “who heroically treated her for COVID-19 related pneumonia until her death.” 

Mercia Bowser, 64, is survived by her parents, Joan and Joseph Bowser, as well as her sister, Muriel Bowser, her brothers, nieces, nephews and friends, according to the mayor’s Wednesday statement.

She was the mayor’s only sister.

My family and I are mourning the loss of my sister, Mercia Bowser, who passed away this morning due to complications related to COVID-19. Mercia was loved immensely and will be missed greatly, as she joins the legion of angels who have gone home too soon due to the pandemic.

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) February 24, 2021

I ask that you continue to keep those who have been lost or impacted by the pandemic and those who are working so hard to protect us from it in your thoughts/prayers, and I respectfully request that my family & I are granted the time and space we need to mourn the loss of Mercia.

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) February 24, 2021

Mercia was a loving, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She worked tirelessly for children, the elderly, and those with behavioral disorders until her retirement and beyond. She counted many friends and fond memories of her service to Catholic Charities & the DC Office on Aging.

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) February 24, 2021

She is survived by her parents Joan and Joseph Bowser, brothers, sister, nieces, nephews, and a host friends ranging from St. John’s Elementary School, to Academy of Our Lady High School, to Fisk University, and Israel Metropolitan CME Church.

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) February 24, 2021

Mercia Bowser was born on March 7, 1956, and passed away on February 24, 2021. pic.twitter.com/t5focFQx62

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) February 24, 2021

The news comes on the same day that the mayor dubbed Wednesday “A Day of Remembrance for Lives Lost to COVID-19” in the nation’s capital.

Washington, D.C., on Wednesday surpassed 1,000 fatalities from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. 

“These beautiful souls who passed were grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, friends, and loved ones. This tragic milestone is a reminder that this pandemic has forever changed families and communities. Even when the pandemic ends, for many, the pain and loss will still be there,” Bowser said in a Wednesday statement alongside the proclamation.

“We will never know just how many lives have been saved through our shared commitment to wearing masks and social distancing, but we continue to make these efforts because we know that every single life saved is precious,” she continued.

Bowser this week also ordered the flags to half-staff in D.C. in honor of the more than 500,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic last year.