Memorial Saturday for woman after difficult journey

Ty Kohler, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·2 min read

Feb. 8—POLAND, Ohio — A family with roots in Mercer County is able to mourn at home after a difficult and tragic journey.

Linda Bovard's family plans to hold a memorial service Saturday for her after her death due to injuries sustained on an ocean cruise last month.

Lee and Linda Bovard of Poland, formerly of Grove City and Sharon, were on a cruise through the Caribbean when tragedy struck.

Their pastor, Reid Lamport of the Church of the Rock in Poland told the tragic story as he heard it.

The fun ocean cruise took a tragic turn when Linda's shoe got stuck, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs and fractured her skull.

Linda was initially responsive as she was taken to the medical room of the ship, though she was having issues thinking. She could not recognize her husband. The ship's medical team immediately knew the injury was more severe than they were equipped to handle.

The Bovards took an ambulance to a hospital two hours away from the dock in Panama as soon as the ship docked. Once in the hospital, doctors began work on Linda.

Without traveler's insurance, Lee had to pay a $50,000 bill up front. Lee gave the hospital everything he had, maxing out two credit cards in the process.

While operating, the doctors found they were unable to detect any brain activity and could not operate. The doctors also determined they were unable to transport her back to the United States.

Lee had to start a hotel bill and made a long-distance phone call bill to tell his three kids about the situation.

After a few days, Lee and Linda's kids were able to travel to Panama and see their mother. Together, the family ultimately made the difficult decision to remove Linda from life support as they believed that's what she would have wanted.

Lamport said Lee expressed gratitude that his whole family was able to gather and make the decision, rather than him having to make it alone.

Lamport created a GoFundMe for Lee to help cover the costs, and it reached its $50,000 goal in about two days. The GoFundMe has since closed, but anyone looking to continue to help Lee can donate through the Church of the Rock.

Lee was able to return home with the remains of his wife, who was cremated. Lamport said he was grateful to members of the church and community who helped him during his struggle.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.

"It's such a tragedy that no one should have to go through," Lamport said. "My thoughts and prayers are with the whole Bovard family and I hope others will do the same."