Widow of Sask. man who died from COVID-19 calls plan to reopen province 'reasonable'

The widow of the fourth person in Saskatchewan known to have died from COVID-19 say the time is right to start talking about reopening the province.

Kathleen Gullacher and her family are still mourning the loss of 69-year-old Noble "Butch" Gullacher, a loving father and grandfather who died on April 10. 

Kathleen said the loss has been hard on her tight-knit family, but that she feels the province's plan, released Thursday by Premier Scott Moe, is suitable so far.

"Everything that I've seen so far seems reasonable," she said

She said she's pleased to see businesses that already know how to properly clean and sanitize will be some of the first to open. 

"Be it a hairdresser or anyone like that, I think they're very cognizant that if they're going to stay in business, in the best of times, that they have to be careful," she said.

Kathleen also said it was the right move to not assign specific dates to the later phases of the plan, as she feels COVID-19 should be fully under control before the province starts to permit large gatherings.

"We're all looking forward to sporting events, but we also all want to be safe," she said. "I'm as much a Rider fan as anybody, but I don't think I'm quite prepared to go to something like that for quite a while."

She said one thing the family is doing in Noble's memory is asking people to ensure their organ cards are filled out properly, as her husband was on the transplant list for a kidney when he died.

Kathleen also commended the province and health-care workers for all of their work, saying she feels they've done a good job containing the virus. She said she's pleased politicians in Saskatchewan are taking their lead from the health-care professionals, as opposed to their political base. 

She said support from people across Saskatchewan has been "tremendous," as she's had numerous people reach out since her husband's passing. 

"I've had so many cards and phone calls," she said. "I think everybody is really taking this to heart." 

Kathleen said she also received a letter of condolences from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, alongside a ball signed by players, as her husband was a long-time fan.

"I was just kind of taken aback," she said. "To send a letter or something, OK but to actually bring a real football, a team-signed one, to the house was a really nice gesture."

She said her family is still in the process of making arrangements for Butch's funeral, while still working hard to ensure they're maintaining physical distance and taking extra caution around COVID-19. 

"In the future, we'll do something," she said. "But as far as getting back to our Sunday dinners, where the whole family comes over and that, I don't think we're ready for that yet."