Photo submitted.

Hub Staff

Forty-two year old Jose Antonio Coronado, a Mexican farm worker, was working in Port Elgin when he died unexpectedly on April 21, unrelated to COVID-19, leaving behind his 9 year old son, Brandon.

According to a GoFundMe (GFM) campaign created May 4, which at the time of publishing had raised $19,800, nearly doubling it's $10,000 goal, Coronado was the sole financial support for his family of eight in Mexico. Coronado had been coming to Canada to work the growing season since 2016 while his mother, age 63, and his grandmother, age 85, had been taking care of his son. He also lived with his widowed epileptic sister and her two minor children as well as his second wife. His first wife died in 2015.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Hi-Berry Farms expressed their sympathies to Coronado's family and said they were "deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our friend and a long-time employee, Antonio. Everyone here will miss his bright smile."

The GFM campaign was created by "a group of concerned volunteers who have been involved in community outreach to the Mexican farm workers in our area for a number of years" and organizer Elaine MacNeil said that in addition to helping Coronado's family with financial support, the fundraiser demonstrates to other Mexican farm workers "that we are committed to supporting each of them in difficult times like we would for any member of our community."

Anyone wishing to contribute to the GFM campaign can do so at www.gofundme.com/f/Death-of-Mexican-Farm-Worker-Leaves-Child-Orphaned.