A Michigan man who kept his diner open and running despite pandemic-related lockdown orders last year has died of COVID-19 complications. John Parney, 62, the owner of Quincy Diner, died on Dec. 14, according to his obituary. He spent weeks battling COVID-19 after first falling ill at the end of September, and had vowed to get vaccinated as soon as he was well enough, according to a GoFundMe set up by his family. “When he was able to talk, John shared with his family that he will be getting vaccinated because the battle, at that point, was worse than any training he endured in the military,” it said. Parney made headlines in December 2020 by defying state orders to close his restaurant down to stop the spread of the virus. He said at the time that he would’ve closed down but had to be able to pay medical bills for his wife, who was fighting stage-four colon cancer.
