Illinois COVID: Springfield grandmother's obituary takes aim at unvaccinated

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- A downstate grandmother's obituary sends a strong message to those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Candace Ayers, 66, of Springfield died of COVID earlier in September. According to her son, she had rheumatoid arthritis. The family was relieved when she was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the spring.

But after taking a trip to Mississippi in July to console a friend who had lost her husband, Ayers tested positive for COVID.

She was hospitalized and then moved into the ICU, and spent the last three weeks of her life on a ventilator, her family said.

In her obituary, her family wrote Ayers "was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be." They said "the cost was her life."

Ayers' son said his mother's legacy is already making an impact, and that he's gotten messages from people who made plans to get the vaccine after hearing their story.