Muriel Bowser

DC Mayor Loses Sister to COVID-19

“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 and prayers"

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser lost her only sister and oldest sibling to COVID-19. 

Mercia Bowser died Wednesday at age 64, the mayor announced. She was being treated for COVID-19-related pneumonia. 

“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,” the mayor said in a statement. “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 and prayers.” 

Mercia Bowser “worked tirelessly for children, the elderly, and those with behavioral disorders until her retirement and beyond,” the mayor said. She is survived by her family, and friends at St. John’s Elementary School, Academy of Our Lady High School, Fisk University and Israel Metropolitan CME Church.

She was treated at Washington Hospital Center. 

The governors of Maryland and Virginia extended their condolences to Muriel Bowser. 

“I pray that the Bowser family, and all those who have suffered a loss during this pandemic, find comfort and strength in the memories of their loved ones,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. 

D.C. surpassed 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday. The mayor declared A Day of Remembrance for Lives Lost to COVID-19 and paid tribute to the victims. Houses of worship citywide were urged to honor those lost to the virus at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story. 

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