ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced on Wednesday that her mother, Elrita “Rita” McClary Warren, has passed away due to complications from congestive heart failure and a COVID-19 infection.

Warren says her mother contracted COVID-19 while being treated in the hospital for her heart condition. She was 71 years old.

Mayor Warren issued a statement Wednesday night, saying:

“Our family was my mother’s passion… She was always guiding us, fighting for us and living for us each day. Her love for her children and grandchildren was boundless; and, she had plenty of love left over. As my sister Yantise always said, ‘our mother never met a stranger.’ Whether in the grocery store or at church, our mother always had a kind word and she loved to grow her circle of friends.”

“My mom always wanted her patients to know that someone truly cared for them and that they were not forgotten… She wanted them to know that they weren’t alone and that they were still valued. That was tremendously important to her.”

“Due to her heart condition, my mother was tremendously careful about practicing behaviors to avoid catching the coronavirus… Still, she was infected by this insidious disease. This is a stark reminder that COVID-19 can infect anyone, at any age, at any time and that we all need to wear masks, practice social distancing and make smart decisions about where and how we gather. We will only end this pandemic when all of us start doing the right things to stop this spread.”

— Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren

Warren says her mother was known for her dedication to the geriatric patients she cared for during her career in health care.

Elrita “Rita” McClary Warren is survived by her two daughters; Yantise Jenkins and Mayor Lovely Warren; their spouses Bernard Jenkins and Timothy Granison; and five grandchildren; Christopher Jenkins, Collin Jenkins, Cayla Jenkins, Necollia Jenkins and Taylor Granison; and goddaughter Vanessa Stanley.