FARMINGTON – A paramedic who died from COVID-19 received a first responder escort last weekend from Albuquerque to Farmington.
First responders and members of the community lined streets Sunday in Farmington for a procession in honor of Glovis Foster, a paramedic with San Juan Regional Emergency Medical Services and Cortez Fire Protection District.
Foster died June 12 from the coronavirus. He was transferred to Lovelace Hospital in Albuquerque after he was first infected. The procession brought Foster back to San Juan County.
Foster was a flight medic with AirCare at San Juan Regional Medical Services. He served as a paramedic in the county for more than 25 years and with the hospital for the last 23 years. The father and grandfather had previously served in the New Mexico Army National Guard.
The route in Farmington went from Bloomfield Highway to Browning Parkway to Main Street and Apache Street. The procession stopped in front of San Juan Regional Medical Center, where two firetrucks had stretched an American flag across the road. The AirCare helicopter flew overhead.
“San Juan Regional Medical Center shares the heartbreak of our community after learning that one of our own has passed from COVID-19,” the hospital said in a statement. It credited Foster for “helping save the lives of countless patients” and said it was honoring “the life of someone who gave so much.”
The New Mexico Army National Guard, New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Fire Department, Farmington Fire Department, Bloomfield Police Department, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, San Juan County Fire Department and Southwest Memorial EMS in Cortez also participated in the first responder procession.
The Cortez Fire Protection District said in a statement that Foster “will always be remembered as someone who brightened your day.”
The Farmington Police Department, which helped to escort Foster from Albuquerque, said in a statement it “was saddened to hear of the passing of one of our local paramedics. Glovis impacted countless lives in his time with AirCare and SJREMS (San Juan Regional Emergency Medical Services), and he will be missed.”
lweber@durangoherald.com