Georgia deputy who died from COVID remembered as a ‘good man gone way too soon’
A “man of God,” “frat brother” and “the nicest guy you could meet”
Those are just some of the words people used to describe sheriff’s deputy Nicholas Howell, who died from complications of COVID-19 over the weekend, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.
Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett said Howell passed away Sunday at Henry Piedmont Hospital in Stockbridge, about 20 miles south of Atlanta.
“Please keep in your thoughts and prayers Deputy Howell’s family, his friends and his Henry County Sheriff’s Office family,” Scandrett wrote in a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page, lauding Howell as one of the county’s “finest Sheriff’s Deputies.”
Funeral arrangements are underway and the deputy’s family has asked for privacy at this time, according to the post.
Howell’s death comes as the Henry County Police Department mourns the loss of a police sergeant who died of a heart attack two days after Christmas, 11Alive reported. He’s also one of 13 law enforcement officers to die of coronavirus in Georgia last year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Howell’s sister, Oshea Howell, said she was “still in shock” over the passing of her younger brother.
“Why do bad things happen to good people?” she captioned a photo collage of her and her brother posted on Facebook. “Words can’t even begin to describe the hurt I feel right now. I want it to be a bad dream. You were more than a little brother. R.I.P. Nicholas Howell.”
Local residents also took to Facebook to offer their condolences.
“Prayers for the Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Howell’s family,” one person commented under the sheriff department’s post. “He was a good man and gone way to soon!!!”
“Praying for the family,” wrote another. “I can’t imagine their pain. His wife was my classmate. Sending her hugs and prayers.”
Another user said she was shaken up by the death of Howell, affectionately known by his peers as “Big Nick.”
“The nicest guy you could meet,” she added. “My heart goes out to his wife, kids and family.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Georgia deputy who died from COVID remembered as a ‘good man gone way too soon’."