Loved Ones Lost: Luella Zerr, Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Swift Kline, Jo Carol Murphy

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a terrible toll on our Santa Barbara County communities — as of this writing, 330 of our neighbors are dead. In an ongoing series, the Independent is putting names and faces to this growing number with the purpose of conveying the human toll of the coronavirus. We feel it is important to recognize and remember these individuals as people, not just statistics. To share the story of a lost friend or loved one, contact Senior Editor Tyler Hayden at tyler@independent.com.

Luella Zerr

After a long, hard battle with COVID-19, Luella Mae Draper Zerr died January 29 in her sleep, her family announced. She’d been very healthy before she fell ill and was just shy of 88 years old.