Sisters in grief: Two Albuquerque women spearhead creation of COVID memorial

Desi Bravo and Hugo Nuñez del Prado lived thousands of miles away from each other, but they had one thing in common: Their loved ones never got the chance to say goodbye.

They are two of the more than 7 million who have died from COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. More than 8,400 of those people were New Mexicans, according to the state Department of Health.

“You never knew who (were) with them,” said Bravo’s sister, Eleanor Bravo. “The only way someone had contact with them was through devices. We said goodbye on Zoom.”

To ensure their loved ones are not forgotten, Eleanor Bravo and Janeth Nuñez del Prado, the daughter of Nuñez del Prado, have spearheaded a project to build a memorial on an acre of state trust land near the Mesa del Sol Regional Sports Complex.

“We are refusing to let our grief be erased from public memory,” Janeth Nuñez del Prado said.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial is scheduled for Nov. 1. Bravo said she hopes everything is finished sometime in 2026.

The memorial will include a pilgrimage path, art panels and a memory booth where people can “talk” to their loved ones on a rotary phone, Nuñez del Prado said.

‘Sudden and unexpected’

Nuñez del Prado said her dad’s death at age 62 on May 27, 2021, in Bolivia “was all very sudden and unexpected.”

“He was two weeks away from receiving the vaccine, which would have been lifesaving for him,” she said. “He was healthy. He ran a half-marathon before the shutdown in 2020.”

Aside from being active, Nuñez del Prado said her dad loved being the life of the party.

“If there was music playing, he would just start dancing on the street,” she said. “He was so full of life.”

But it had been at least seven years since Nuñez del Prado saw him.

“He never got to meet my kids,” she said. “There’s nothing that could really prepare you for the loss of a parent, but when it’s a COVID loss, it’s just so much harder. We couldn’t be with him in the hospital. We couldn’t comfort him. We couldn’t have a funeral.”

It was at that time, she said, that she met Bravo, her “sister in grief.”

Like Nuñez del Prado with her dad, Bravo did not say goodbye to Desi Bravo.

“I never got to have a phone call, never got to see her,” Bravo said. “It has been very difficult.”

Desi Bravo was born in Manila, in the Philippines, in 1943. When she was 7, she moved to the United States and later became a physician in Kansas City, Missouri, where she died at age 76 on Oct. 6, 2020, from COVID-19.

“I’m angry and that’s why I decided to spend my energy doing something constructive,” Eleanor Bravo said.

A team effort

The quest for getting funding for the memorial began in 2021 when the two started reaching out to local and state leaders.

Bravo said resolutions passed by the village of Corrales, cities of Albuquerque and Las Cruces, as well as the Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Sandoval county commissioners “made it clear that commemoration was sorely needed and a priority for our diverse community.”

“This memorial is more than just a monument made of brick and mortar,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Frank Baca, who represents the second district. “This will be a sacred place — one where our community can come to remember, reflect, and heal together. This memorial honors the loved ones we lost, the resilience we found, and the commitment we shared during one of the most challenging times in our history.”

Bravo and Nuñez del Prado formed a nonprofit organization called the New Mexico COVID-19 Memorial Foundation and traveled the state, “which allowed us to show this was a statewide project,” said board member Victor Raigoza.

“We’ve been relentless,” Bravo said. “We’ve been everywhere to whatever gathering there is to talk about this.”

Bravo and Nuñez del Prado’s efforts paid off.

The state allocated about $950,000 in capital outlay, which covers nearly half of the $2 million, two-phased project, Bravo said.

When all is said and done, the memorial will take the form of “a mini pilgrimage” with views of mountains all around, Consensus Planning landscape architect Ken Romig said.

“The path is intentionally designed to foster healing, remembrance, and a sense of shared experience for those mourning loved ones lost to COVID-19,” Nuñez del Prado said. “(It) will be lined with papel picado-inspired art pieces designed by artists and will reflect different aspects and iconography of the pandemic.”

Bravo said some of the artists will include Native Americans.

“As more art is selected and installed, Native and other groups will be recognized and represented,” she said.

Tewa Roots Society Director Marquel Musgrave said COVID-19 had “such a major impact on the Indigenous communities.”

“We have lost so many language teachers, elders who really held our original teachings and lifeways that are integral for keeping our communities alive,” she said. “The loss of one person is like the loss of a library full of knowledge.”

Bernalillo County Public Art Project Coordinator Kent Swanson said 75 people submitted names to design the art panels. On Oct. 6, 13 semifinalists were selected. Of those, six will be chosen, Swanson said.

Along with the art panels, the memorial will also have a memory booth where people can pick up a phone and talk to their loved ones, telling them how much they miss them.

“I was kind of just hoping and praying for an idea to come to me to help make the experience very personal for people,” Nuñez del Prado said, “and to give some kind of concrete space to allow them to have the personal experience to help move them through their grief and helping them process it.”

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and is the road warrior. You can contact him at ghasman@abqjournal.com.