It’s hard to find words to sum up the year that’s gone by since Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the first cases of COVID-19 in Michigan. Around 16,000 people in the state have died from COVID-19. Schools closed down. Businesses went dark. Front line workers risked their health for us. And then there have been the million little unique ways each one of our lives shifted. Today on the pod, we hear from people across the state about how their lives have changed since the beginning of the pandemic. And we talk to a funeral director about what it’s been like to be a “last responder” during a period of heavy loss. GUEST: Paddy Lynch, funeral director at Lynch and Sons funeral home in Clawson. A special thanks to Michigan Radio reporters Beenish Ahmed, Dustin Dwyer, and producer Rachel Ishikawa for putting together the voices across Michigan at the top of this episode. You can find more stories of how Michiganders’ lives have changed here. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.