WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – For the daughter of the late Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, a lasting pain will always be if he could have held on a little longer -- or if the vaccinations would have been available sooner.
“He said, ‘You know that we’ll have a vaccine by December,’” Tiffani Jackson said.
Napoleon was hospitalized in November due to COVID-19 complications, just days after winning re-election. He agreed to go on a ventilator but never recovered. He died on Dec. 17, 2020. He was 65 years old.
READ: A look back at the legacy of Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon
“He truly, truly had a heart of gold,” Jackson said. “My responsibility to continue that.”
Jackson, Napoleon’s only child, has found a way to keep her father’s mission alive with the Benny N. Napoleon Foundation for Community Advancement.
The foundation is still in its early stages, but Jackson is ready to continue the community work of her father. She’s looking for volunteers and engagement.
For her, the honor to carry her father with her includes the community walking with her through the painful journey.