Kentucky sign language interpreter in Beshear pandemic briefings has died

She done all the sign language for all COVID

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) – American Sign Language interpreter Virginia Moore, who became a familiar face during Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily COVID briefings, died Saturday the governor said.

“I have some heartbreaking news to share,” Beshear said on Twitter. “Virginia Moore, the Kentuckian who taught us all the importance of leading with love and inclusion, passed away yesterday.”

Beshear said she was a valuable resource, calling her “a rock of stability and grace during the pandemic. She helped bring us all together in our most challenging times, so I hope you’ll join Britainy and me today in praying for all who loved her,” he said.

“I will miss her greatly, but as Virginia would remind us in our grief: We will get through this; we will get through this together,” he said.

Beshear’s statement didn’t name a cause of death. Moore recovered from uterine cancer in 2020.

She was director of the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which issued this statement: “With deepest regret, the KCDHH Board and Staff must announce the passing of our beloved Executive Director, Virginia Moore. Our hearts are broken, and we will forever feel her absence.”

Memorial services are pending, the commission said. Memorial donations can be made in her name to KSD Jacob’s Hall Museum or to the Knowledge Center on Deafness.