By ERIC SEIVERLING
Friends and family of R.J. Sokol gathered at North Belle Vernon’s Community Bank Park Tuesday evening to offer prayers and words of encouragement to the former councilman, who is hospitalized after being diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month.
According to Sokol’s son, Bobby Sokol, R.J. is in Pittsburgh’s UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital on a ventilator and in an induced coma. Bobby attended the vigil while R.J.’s wife, Lynn, was at his bedside at the hospital.
“I’m not going to sugar coat it,” Bobby told the crowd. “He’s in a very, very bad way. The COVID hit his lungs hard. Without a miracle, I’m not sure he’s going to make it.”
A retired production supervisor at Eastman Chemical Plant in Monongahela, Sokol served on council from 1992 to 2007 and again from 2014 until he resigned from his seat in December last year, citing health issues.
Sokol’s crowning achievement is Community Bank Park, which officially opened in the summer of 2016.
Sokol led the effort to bring a park to North Belle Vernon that featured all-season attractions that everyone, including people with disabilities, could enjoy.
More than 20,000 people come to the park every year to enjoy its turf soccer field, dek hockey rink, playground equipment, walking track and pavilion.
The park is also home to seasonal festivals, holiday celebrations, networking and special events.
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