WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — An elementary school teacher from Winter Haven has died of COVID-19 complications, according to her sister.
Christy Peterson wrote on Facebook that her sister Kelly Peterson died Monday morning, saying the disease was too much for her body to fight.
“She had the best smile and personality to match!” Christy Peterson told 8 On Your Side. “It is correct she died from COVID complications. It is also correct that she could not be vaccinated due to a weak immune system from medical issues. She would have loved to have taught virtually this year had the state offered that option.”
Kelly Peterson worked as a teacher at Lake Shipp Elementary. The school posted about her death, asking for prayers for the Peterson family.
“She has touched hundreds of students’ lives and had made a lasting impression on us all,” the school wrote. “Her Lake Shipp family will dearly miss that contagious smile and laugh she always had. Please keep her family, friends, and our Lake Shipp family in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Peterson family is working on funeral arrangements.
“It has been heartbreaking, and we are devastated,” Christy Peterson said. “She has always been our shining light.”