A heroic PCSO, who saved four teens from drifting out to sea, has died from coronavius.
John Hood developed symptoms of Covid-19 more than a week before his admission to Ipswich Hospital on March 20.
The 66-year-old from Felixstowe, immediately went into self-isolation and fought the illness until his condition worsened and he sought medical help.
He had underlying health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes, and died on Tuesday, March 24.
Mr Hood was described as a “kind, generous and courageous man” by his partner, Nita Crossley, who he lived with.
Nita, who is in self-isolation, said John’s death had come as an enormous shock.
She said: “John was a kind, generous and courageous man. He lived life to the full and he will be hugely missed.”
Originally from New Zealand, Mr Hood came to the UK in 2004 with his then partner, Jayne Lindill, who was returning to her native Suffolk.
According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Mr Hood worked as a radio presenter in New Zealand and Australia, but when he came to Suffolk he seized the opportunity to take on a new career as a PCSO with Suffolk Constabulary, serving between 2007 and 2018.
In 2016, Mr Hood won a Stars of Suffolk award for diving into the sea off Felixstowe beach to rescue four girls.
Despite having a pacemaker to correct a slow heartbeat, he swam 250m to the aid of the teenagers who were in danger of drifting out to sea in a rubber dinghy.
