Lonnell Chaney

Portrait of Lonnell Chaney, courtesy of Brenda Chaney, by way of WFYI.

Lonnell Chaney passed away on April 19, 2020 at the age of 61. Originally from Indianapolis, Lonnell lived in Indiana his entire life and is survived by his two daughters, Crystal and Cheyanne. His last request to Crystal, made six days before his death, was a request for pictures of his grandchildren.

At the time of their conversation, Lonnell didn’t know that he had contracted COVID-19. However, he developed severe symptoms soon afterwards and found himself barely able to breathe. Only a few days after the correctional facility denied his request to be sent to the medical unit, they called his family to let them know he had died.

In an interview with WFYI, Crystal recalled that her father had expressed concerns about the coronavirus early on, always reminding her to wear a mask and gloves so that she wouldn’t get infected. Yet in a facility where masks were scarce and social distancing was nearly impossible, Lonnell was ultimately unable to do the same. “He was so worried about us, and he ended up catching it,” Crystal said. Although she never had the chance to say goodbye, Lonnell will be deeply missed by Crystal and all those his life has touched. 

This memorial was written by MOL team member Mirilla Zhu with information from reporting by Jake Harper of WFYI.