Wednesday, September 30, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Obituary
COVID-19: When will
pandemic numbers
turn the corner?
Mason Warren Darling
April 7, 1984 — September 10, 2020
Mason Warren Darling
passed away on September
10, with his loving wife,
Kaitlyn Darling, by his side,
after his brave battle with
ALS.
Mason was born in
McCall, Idaho, on April 7,
1984 to Sharyl and Mark
Darling. Mason grew up in
the backcountry of Idaho,
graduating from McCall-
Donnelly High School,
where he met his wife,
Kaitlyn. After school, they
moved to Sisters, where
they lived for 15 years. They
were married in 2012.
Mason lived and
breathed the outdoors, never
passing up an opportunity
to go snowboarding, snow-
mobiling, hunting, or fish-
ing. Mason started his own
business, Moon Mountain
Masonry, in 2017 and was
known for his hard work
and honesty. He was the
best example of living life
to its fullest and loving with
all his heart. His passion for
hunting, working hard, and
having fun was only beat by
the incredible love he had
for his family. Even with
the decline of his disease, he
always kept the sparkle in
his eye that so many loved
and cherished about him,
and his love for his family
was ever present.
Mason, Kaitlyn, and
their boys just moved back
to Idaho in 2019 to be close
to family and settled in
Emmett. Mason poured his
heart into remodeling their
new home with his dad,
Mark, working by his side
until it was just how he and
Kaitlyn dreamed.
Mason was the type of
person who could be best
friends with a stranger in a
matter of minutes. He was
never afraid to take risks and
push the envelope in any
way he could. He played
and worked hard, and he
loved even harder. To be a
friend or family member to
Mason meant he was only a
phone call away, no matter
what you needed.
Mason is preceded in
death by his grandfather,
Alvie Dunning; mother,
Shery Allen; and brother,
Dylan Darling, who all
Continued from page 11
With Oregon9s reopening
enacted on June 5, 31 of 36
Oregon counties entering the
state9s defined Phase II status,
cases rose significantly.
suffered from ALS. He is
also preceded by his grand-
father, Arthur Darling; and
grandmother, Rosie Darling.
Mason is survived by his
wife, Kaitlyn; sons, Milo
and Waylon; father, Mark
(Rebecca) Darling; sister-
in-law, Sedonia Darling;
nephews, Ole, Alder; grand-
mother, Ruthie; grandfather,
Bob; as well as his aunts,
uncles, cousins, nieces,
nephews and in-laws.
Since his diagnosis, the
incredible outpouring of
love and support from so
many family and friends
was so very appreciated by
Mason and his family. It
was a testament to Mason9s
personality, character, and
impact on others that so
many stepped up to help and
support him and his family
in any way they could.
A service will be held
later this year in Emmett,
after hunting season, so all
of Mason9s closest bud-
dies will be able to attend.
Kaitlyn and the rest of
Mason9s family want to
thank everyone for all
the love and support they
have felt over the last few
months.
Charitable donations can
be offered to the ALS foun-
dation in Mason9s name to
help find a cure for the dis-
ease that has taken too many
loved ones too young.
Week
Start
Week
End
Total
Cases
17-May
24-May
31-May
7-June
23-May
30-May
6-June
13-June
302
409
800
1,269
Afterward, cases continued
to rise dramatically; the week
of July 5, peaking at 2,456.
To flatten the case uptick,
on July 1, Governor Brown
proclaimed the statewide
mask/enhanced safety regu-
lations. This produced a
major, statistically predictable
decline in the number of total
Painted Lady
cases and hospitalizations
Since August 23, total
weekly cases have flattened,
averaging 1,412 per week.
This level is similar to total
cases in mid-June, before the
mask/enhanced safety mea-
sure proclamation.
We are going into the fall
now when influenza increases
historically, in part, due to
schools reopening as well as
people being in closed quar-
ters. Within Oregon, we have
much difference with in-per-
son/online school attendance.
Providing a proven calcu-
lation for entering a compara-
tive number of cases seen in
the <Stay Home, Save Lives=
period (March 23-early-June),
the mean (average) and stan-
dard deviations were deter-
mined as well as plotted.
Those are: ±1, green; ±2, yel-
low; ±, red; average (mean)
blue.
This analysis dramatically
shows that the week of May
31 had 800 COVID-19 cases
and was statically out-of-con-
trol 4 neither stable nor con-
sistent. In retrospect, this was
a tremendous warning that
things were worsening! More
weeks at high levels validate
this conclusion.
Using this chart, a con-
servative, <new normal=
COVID-19 weekly total case
level, would be 437. That
is derived from the March
8-May 17 period9s average,
388, and adding one standard
deviation, 49.
Many variables are
influencing this process.
Importantly, we want to
understand and know when
the COVID-19 situation is
objectively turning the corner.
These numbers do not tell
of personal hardship, grief,
loss and tragedy for an extraor-
dinary number of families.
COVID-19 rages. With
numeric understanding, bal-
anced, prudent, and consistent
actions may be able to turn
this tide.
A sincere
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