Couple married 47 years die of COVID-19 within minute of each other. ‘It’s time to go’
A couple married for nearly half a century died of COVID-19 within seconds of each other last week in Michigan.
Leslie and Patricia Waters both died at 4:23 p.m. on Nov. 24, according to an obituary.
“Those of us that know them, know that mom went first and said, ‘LD, it’s time to go,” the obituary states.
Leslie, 78, was a former truck driver and Patricia, 76, was a registered nurse for 35 years. Together they had two daughters, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren during their marriage of 47 years.
“They did almost everything together, so it should be no surprise that they went to be with the Lord together within the very same minute,” according to the obituary.
One of the daughters, Joanna Sisk, compared their deaths to another tragic love story.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s so tragic. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet,” Sisk told WDIV. “One wouldn’t have wanted to be without the other.”
She added it’s been difficult hearing others brush off the coronavirus.
“It’s tough enough to lose one parent, but this was the worst,” Sisk said, WDIV reported.
Their deaths mirror many other couples who died from the virus in similar fashion.
North Carolina couple Johnny and Cathy Peoples died of COVID-19 on Sept. 2 “within moments of each other,” according to the Charlotte Observer. The couple, married for 48 years, died holding hands, WBTV reported.
In August, Texas couple Avelino and Anita De Leon lost their battles to COVID-19 on the same morning — just a few weeks away from their 57th wedding anniversary, according to KIITV.
Another Michigan couple, Donna and Jerry Castleberry, died from complications of the virus about an hour apart last month, the Battle Creek Enquirer reported.
Gregory and Carla Christie, married for 46 years, both died from COVID-19 complications last month in Michigan, WJRT reported.
Michigan has reported more than 360,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 9,500 deaths as of Monday. Nationwide, there have been almost 13.5 million confirmed cases and 267,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Couple married 47 years die of COVID-19 within minute of each other. ‘It’s time to go’."