WEBVTT 00:02.033 --> 00:04.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: As the U.S. approaches another coronavirus milestone, we look back at the 00:04.900 --> 00:09.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% lives of a few of the almost 125,000 Americans who have died because of the pandemic. 00:15.466 --> 00:20.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Ninety-two-year-old Theodore Gaffney was a researcher and documentarian who brought great 00:22.333 --> 00:26.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% curiosity to his work. After serving in the U.S. Army following World War II, Theodore 00:28.266 --> 00:32.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% studied photography under the G.I. Bill. The Washington, D.C., native was one of the first 00:33.933 --> 00:37.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% African-Americans to photograph inside of the White House. 00:37.566 --> 00:42.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% In 1961, he documented the Freedom Riders as they traveled through the South to fight 00:44.566 --> 00:48.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% segregation. Theodore later moved to Brazil to study the African diaspora. It was there 00:50.400 --> 00:53.933 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that he met his wife, Maria. 00:53.933 --> 00:58.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Jess Begay Sr. of the Navajo Nation was a long-haul trucker who transported everything 01:00.866 --> 01:05.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% from explosives to milk. He taught others how to drive commercially, including his own 01:07.600 --> 01:11.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% daughter, Leslyn. She said her dad was humble and always open to learning more. He still 01:14.166 --> 01:19.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% referred to himself as a rookie, even as a 25-year veteran in the trucking industry. 01:21.200 --> 01:25.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% His family described Jess as dedicated, prayerful, and loving. He was 73 years old. 01:29.800 --> 01:34.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Mary Wilson had a way with animals. She was 23 when she started working at the Maryland 01:36.766 --> 01:40.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Zoo, and went on to become the first black woman to be promoted to senior zookeeper. 01:42.800 --> 01:47.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Mary was a mother figure to many, including an orphan gorilla named Sylvia. Mary continued 01:49.400 --> 01:53.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to visit Sylvia even after she left the Maryland Zoo. Sylvia always remembered her. 01:56.300 --> 02:01.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Mary's dedication to her work inspired her daughter Sharron to become a zookeeper too. 02:02.800 --> 02:04.900 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Mary was 83. 02:04.900 --> 02:09.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Dr. Thomas Nyambane was a lifelong educator and student. Passionate about learning, Thomas 02:12.900 --> 02:17.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% earned advanced degrees in education well into his fifties. He taught English classes 02:19.866 --> 02:23.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in Kenya, where he was born. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1985, he taught at a Minnesota 02:25.966 --> 02:30.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% technical college. Thomas was a generous and devoted father and grandfather. 02:32.900 --> 02:36.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% At his church, he was known as a leader within the congregation. Thomas was 69 years old. 02:39.300 --> 02:44.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Maurice Dotson's family said he always put others first. When Maurice was 17, he would 02:46.433 --> 02:50.966 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% often accompany his mom to her job at a nursing home, and it was there that Maurice discovered 02:52.900 --> 02:57.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that he, too, loved helping others. Maurice went on to work as a nursing assistant for 02:59.066 --> 03:02.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% the elderly in Austin, Texas, for 25 years. His younger sisters said he was a father figure 03:05.100 --> 03:10.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to them; protective and giving. Maurice was 51. 03:14.900 --> 03:19.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And, as always, our hearts go out to all those who've lost loved ones in this pandemic.