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Lumberton man mourning loss of brother due to COVID-19 after encouraging him to get vaccine

Tony Baird said his brother was a guy with great advice who you could count on, but he wishes his brother would’ve taken his advice about the vaccine.
Credit: UGC

LUMBERTON, Texas — A Lumberton man is mourning the loss of his brother, a hometown hero, who died this week from COVID-19.

To make matters worse, it's the second brother he's lost this year. At one point, the virus threatened the entire family, but they say they took action.

The brother said his siblings all fought tough battles with COVID-19 but were lucky enough to survive. So, they decided to get the vaccine, but one brother didn't and now they're planning his funeral.

"He liked doing everything like hunting, fishing, bowling," said brother Tony Baird.

Cecil "Otto" Baird was your typical Southeast Texan. Tony Baird said his brother had recently moved to Arizona.

"I can always reach out to him and he always calmed me down and now he's not there. Who's going to fill that void," Tony Baird said.

Tony Baird said he wants his brother to be remembered for the full life he lived.

Otto was a father of four and a veteran. He was in the Marine Reserves for seven years.

Tony Baird said Otto was a guy with great advice who you could count on, but he wishes his brother would’ve taken his advice about the vaccine.

"He didn’t believe in the shots, and I told him I was on the fence for a long time, and then I ended up getting the shots," Tony Baird said.

Tony Baird said his entire family is heartbroken that they couldn’t be there for his brother in his final moments.

"He was in good health, and he wasn’t really sick. I just can’t believe he's gone because of this stuff," Tony Baird said.

He believes if Otto had gotten the vaccine, he may still be here today.

"If you feel sick, go get tested because you never know. You could be perfectly healthy and then you can be gone the next day," Tony Baird said.

Otto’s funeral arrangements have just been made and Tony Baird said he’s planning to travel to Arizona to see his brother one last time.

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