A Family Broken


In October 2020, COVID-19 killed Lisa Grim's husband Alan, leaving her and her boys Ralphie and Walker devastated emotionally. Alan's death also devastated the family financially. Without his income, they could no longer afford to stay in the home the boys had known their entire lives. The family moved into a much smaller apartment an hour away. 


Their struggle is the struggle of thousands of families, already broken by the pandemic, who now face the secondary losses of income, homes and plans for the future. 


This story was photographed for The Washington Post.

A boy stands in silhouette and opens the blinds covering a glass door.
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Ralphie Grim, 10, pulls back the patio blinds in the family’s new apartment on July 1, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Since Ralphie’s dad Alan died of COVID-19, he has often been sullen and angry, and has been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.

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Ralphie Grim, 10, pulls back the patio blinds in the family’s new apartment on July 1, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Since Ralphie’s dad Alan died of COVID-19, he has often been sullen and angry, and has been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.

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A woman and young child stand in a hallway and look into a room.
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Lisa Grim shows her son Walker, 4, the family’s new apartment for the first time on July 1, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. After Lisa’s husband, Alan, died of COVID-19 in October 2020, she was forced to sell their house and move into a small apartment an hour away from the only home her boys had ever known.

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Lisa Grim shows her son Walker, 4, the family’s new apartment for the first time on July 1, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. After Lisa’s husband, Alan, died of COVID-19 in October 2020, she was forced to sell their house and move into a small apartment an hour away from the only home her boys had ever known.

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A woman kneels on the ground with a phone to her ear, next to an open door. To her left, a boy lays on the ground facing the woman.
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Lisa Grim and her son Ralphie, 10, wait for movers to arrive on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. The two argue a lot these days, and Ralphie constantly criticizes Lisa for selling the house. The few times Ralphie has openly cried in front of Lisa, he won’t let her hug him.

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Lisa Grim and her son Ralphie, 10, wait for movers to arrive on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. The two argue a lot these days, and Ralphie constantly criticizes Lisa for selling the house. The few times Ralphie has openly cried in front of Lisa, he won’t let her hug him.

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A Christmas card lays next to a pair of bronze keys. On the card, a woman, man and two young boys are dressed in costumes from the Old West.
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A Christmas card featuring Lisa, Alan, Ralph and Walker Grim lays next to new keys for Lisa’s new apartment. Alan was a gentle giant — 6 foot 6 inches tall and 350 pounds — who Lisa described as the first man to fully accept her for who she was. He had plans of starting his own business installing fire alarms. He loved Volkswagen cars. He died of COVID-19 in October 2020 after days on a ventilator. He was 37 years old.

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A Christmas card featuring Lisa, Alan, Ralph and Walker Grim lays next to new keys for Lisa’s new apartment. Alan was a gentle giant — 6 foot 6 inches tall and 350 pounds — who Lisa described as the first man to fully accept her for who she was. He had plans of starting his own business installing fire alarms. He loved Volkswagen cars. He died of COVID-19 in October 2020 after days on a ventilator. He was 37 years old.

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A woman and boy stand in a parking lot, looking into a storage pod filled with boxes and furniture.
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Lisa Grim and her son Ralphie, 10, open up the storage pod containing their furniture on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Inside sat Ralphie and Walker’s bikes, which they immediately set up and started to ride around the apartment complex’s parking lot. Also inside were two couches, bought for Alan’s hulking frame, that took up nearly the entirety of the new apartment’s living room.

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Lisa Grim and her son Ralphie, 10, open up the storage pod containing their furniture on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Inside sat Ralphie and Walker’s bikes, which they immediately set up and started to ride around the apartment complex’s parking lot. Also inside were two couches, bought for Alan’s hulking frame, that took up nearly the entirety of the new apartment’s living room.

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A woman presses her hand to her head, an exasperated look on her face, while a man walks past her carrying a bookshelf. Behind the woman is a stack of boxes.
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Coffee in hand, Lisa Grim rubs her head as mover Christian Williams carries a bookshelf into her new apartment on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Lisa’s therapist encouraged her to make the new apartment a space of her own, and not a replication of her old home with Alan. The new home, her therapist urged, needed to reflect her family now.

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Coffee in hand, Lisa Grim rubs her head as mover Christian Williams carries a bookshelf into her new apartment on July 2, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Lisa’s therapist encouraged her to make the new apartment a space of her own, and not a replication of her old home with Alan. The new home, her therapist urged, needed to reflect her family now.

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A woman is carrying a pair of pillows. Behind her, a young child carries a small trash can.
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Lisa Grim and her son Walker, 4, carry items into their new apartment on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Even though much had been moved from their old house, much remained to be bought. Ralphie needed a bed frame. The kitchen needed a microwave. The hallway bathroom needed a shower rod and curtain. The bedroom needed a rug. As the family prepared to spend their first night in the new apartment, it was a mashup of old and new.

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Lisa Grim and her son Walker, 4, carry items into their new apartment on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Even though much had been moved from their old house, much remained to be bought. Ralphie needed a bed frame. The kitchen needed a microwave. The hallway bathroom needed a shower rod and curtain. The bedroom needed a rug. As the family prepared to spend their first night in the new apartment, it was a mashup of old and new.

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A pair of hands hold a silver necklace. The necklace is decorated with a Volkswagen car and a small vial.
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Lisa Grim carries some of her husband’s ashes with her in a necklace. The necklace his ashes are in is also adorned with a Volkswagen car — Alan’s favorite. He had been restoring a 1964 Beetle when he died of COVID-19.

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Lisa Grim carries some of her husband’s ashes with her in a necklace. The necklace his ashes are in is also adorned with a Volkswagen car — Alan’s favorite. He had been restoring a 1964 Beetle when he died of COVID-19.

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In the foreground, a young boy plays a video game on a television screen. In the background, a woman helps another young boy brush his teeth.
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Ralphie, 10, plays Minecraft in his room while Lisa Grim helps Walker, 4, brush his teeth on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Video games are one of the only things that can make Ralphie happy these days. He loves Minecraft, and will spend downtime watching videos about the game on his phone or playing it on the PlayStation 4 Lisa bought him after Alan’s death, desperate to see him smile.

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Ralphie, 10, plays Minecraft in his room while Lisa Grim helps Walker, 4, brush his teeth on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Video games are one of the only things that can make Ralphie happy these days. He loves Minecraft, and will spend downtime watching videos about the game on his phone or playing it on the PlayStation 4 Lisa bought him after Alan’s death, desperate to see him smile.

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A young boy looks into the camera. His face is partially obscured by a red teddy bear he is holding. His other hand is grasping a blue blanket decorated with polar bears.
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Walker Grim, 4, lies tucked into bed on the living room couch on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. The smaller size of the new apartment means that Walker will sleep on a couch in the living room. He has had trouble sleeping, and can only fall asleep with the television on in the background.

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Walker Grim, 4, lies tucked into bed on the living room couch on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. The smaller size of the new apartment means that Walker will sleep on a couch in the living room. He has had trouble sleeping, and can only fall asleep with the television on in the background.

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A woman lays a sheet onto a mattress. The mattress is resting on the floor. Sitting near the mattress is a young boy holding a video game controller.
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Lisa Grim puts a sheet on her son Ralphie’s, 10, mattress while he plays Minecraft on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. For months after Alan’s death, Ralphie had been so afraid of the dark that he slept with the lights on. When Lisa started sneaking in at night to turn them off, he started locking his door. Tonight, as Lisa went to leave his room for the final time, he asked her to turn them off.

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Lisa Grim puts a sheet on her son Ralphie’s, 10, mattress while he plays Minecraft on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. For months after Alan’s death, Ralphie had been so afraid of the dark that he slept with the lights on. When Lisa started sneaking in at night to turn them off, he started locking his door. Tonight, as Lisa went to leave his room for the final time, he asked her to turn them off.

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A woman holds a small boy in her lap, looking at him while he sleeps. Her face is lit blue by a cell phone.
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Lisa Grim holds her son Walker, 4, while he falls asleep on her chest on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Looking toward her and the boys’ futures, Lisa enrolled in a graduate program to become a licensed mental health counselor. The prospect of it frightened her. It meant $25,000 in student loans and four years of juggling work, childcare and night classes. But now, without Alan, she knew she needed a career that could support her family.

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Lisa Grim holds her son Walker, 4, while he falls asleep on her chest on July 3, 2021, in Ozark, Mo. Looking toward her and the boys’ futures, Lisa enrolled in a graduate program to become a licensed mental health counselor. The prospect of it frightened her. It meant $25,000 in student loans and four years of juggling work, childcare and night classes. But now, without Alan, she knew she needed a career that could support her family.

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© 2024 Tristen Rouse | 417.631.3200 | tristenrousephoto@gmail.com

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