Furloughed nurse, neighbor save Swansea man from heart attack. Family paid it forward.
A community came together Sunday afternoon to celebrate two “heroes” who saved the life of their neighbor in Swansea.
At about 2:05 p.m. on April 28, Marvin Winkeler, 68, collapsed in his front yard in Swansea. He was suffering a heart attack while cutting grass, his sister-in-law Melissa Winkeler said in a phone interview.
A neighbor, Linda Tolar, a surgical nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital who had been furloughed from her job, saw Marvin’s collapse and began immediately to perform CPR on him. Her friend Rick Corporon was with her at the time and helped in the life-saving efforts while they waited for an ambulance.
When Swansea police arrived, Officers Jason Tutterow and Paul Brault used a defibrillator to resuscitate Marvin before he was taken to the hospital. He has since recovered and been released from the hospital with three stents in his heart.
“Linda was home because she is a surgical nurse and had recently been furloughed,” Melissa Winkeler said. “If she had been at her regular job at (St. Elizabeth’s), Marvin would have surely died in his front yard.”
Feeling grateful to their neighbor and her friend, Marvin’s family wanted to do something to honor them both for their “heroic” efforts, Melissa Winkeler said.
The idea of a parade of cars and signs was brought up, but Melissa Winkeler said the family felt the need to do something a little extra.
“Marvin is a ‘pay-it-forward’ kind of guy, so we wanted to do something that would help others too,” Melissa Winkeler said.
The family requested that parade participants also bring food donations for the Community Interfaith Food Pantry in Belleville, a place where Marvin volunteers.
On Sunday afternoon, the day of the parade, at least 30 cars gathered in the parking lot of Bandana’s Bar-B-Q with written signs with messages like, “The beat goes on” and “Marvin’s agenda: Live next to Linda.” Four Swansea fire trucks assisted, blocking off the parade route along Frank Scott Parkway for the procession.
The family collected a truck full of food donations and at least $200 in monetary donations for the pantry, Melissa Winkeler said. Some of the donated money also was used to buy gift cards to Joe’s Pizza and Pasta for the two Swansea police officers who helped revive Marvin.
Marvin, Talor and Corporon watched from their front yards as the parade went by.
“Marvin loved it,” Melissa Winkeler said. “They were honored to be recognized.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 9:06 AM.
.jpg)