2 Kansas corrections officers who died after contracting COVID-19 honored Thursday
Families, friends, prison staff and area law enforcement gathered Thursday in honor of two Kansas corrections officers who died earlier this month after testing positive for COVID-19.
The men, who were both corrections supervisors at the Lansing Correctional Facility, died one day apart.
George Bernard Robare died on May 11 and Fella Adebiyi died on May 12. Robare worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections for more than 35 years, and Adebiyi worked for the state prison system for nearly 20 years.
A drive-through visitation service was held outside the Lansing facility Thursday evening followed by a candlelight vigil.
KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda described both men as being “highly respected” among their peers for their work ethic, knowledge, experience and their willingness to help others.
“They were more than supervisors to our staff,” Zmuda said. “They really were mentors to them.”
Robare and Adebiyi died amid a large coronavirus outbreak that was discovered at the prison where 96 staff members and 817 inmates have tested positive.
Four inmates from the prison also died after receiving positive tests.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 11:03 PM.
