Harris Co. sergeant battling COVID-19 dies after long fight

HUMBLE, Texas (KTRK) -- To say Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski was loved doesn't seem strong enough to those connected to him.

"There's not a better person to be around. You could take every adjective there ever was that was positive and you could apply that to Raymond Scholwinski," said Harris County Sheriff's Office captain Michael Koteres.

Dozens of deputies gathered the day after Scholwinski passed, all touched by the presence of a great man.

"He was the best man that I ever knew. He was kind. He always had time for everybody," said Sgt. Joe Halm.

A man that touched so many lives.

"He was the most humblest sergeant, the nicest sergeant, the sergeant who was patient and willing to help anybody that needed help," said Deputy Emilia Wheeler.

Some called him Uncle Ray. He wasn't just a fellow officer, he was family.

On March 21, Sgt. Scholwinski started showing symptoms of the coronavirus.

The 70-year-old went to the hospital soon after, on the 29th.

He's been married to his wife, Rynda for almost 34 years, they have four children, two together. When we talked to his wife in April she talked about the kind of generous man he was.

"He touches people's heart when they meet him. He has a way of never meeting a stranger," said Rynda said.

A man that will be dearly missed.

"I know yesterday when the blue angels flew that sky, that he left with them. I knew it," said Deputy Wheeler.

He's the first active duty Harris County Sheriff's Deputy to die from COVID-19.

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