Coronavirus claims at least 7 more veteran pastors, leaving churches to celebrate Easter in mourning
The Rev. Lawrence Wilkes, 80, stepped down as interim pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in 2012 when the Schuller family left amid a tumultuous bankruptcy. The Orange County Register reported that he died on March 31 after contracting the coronavirus.
“The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Wilkes passed away this morning from the coronavirus. A good man that I knew from the Crystal Cathedral. The virus hasn't seemed real because of not knowing anyone that was sick. Now it's very real. NOW IT'S PERSONAL,” Greg Iannolo wrote in a post on Facebook.
Wilkes lived in Anaheim and is survived by his wife, daughter and son-in-law, and a granddaughter, the OC Register said. He was also among 17 COVID-19 coronavirus deaths reported by the Orange County Health Care Agency as of Wednesday.
