Florida Couple Married 61 Years Die A Day Apart From COVID-19
A Florida couple who were married for almost 62 years, succumbed to COVID-19 just a day apart, according to a recent article.
One weekend, Eleanor and Peter Baker, 84 and 85 years old respectively, attended a small gathering in Florida a few hours from their winter home, according to their daughter Kathleen MacDowell.
"Nothing out of the ordinary....right?? " MacDowell wrote in a Facebook post, Friday. "Wrong...that week changed our entire lives."
Three weeks after the reunion, Eleanor became ill and drove herself to a hospital, where she was immediately admitted. A day later, Peter Baker was taken by ambulance to a hospital and admitted.
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About a week later, Eleanor died on April 2. And Peter died on April 3.
MacDowell said she drove with Wolfe Friday to pick up their parents' ashes, and it was "such an emotional day."
"We are heartbroken," MacDowell wrote in her Facebook post. "We talked about how much our lives have changed in the past five weeks."
One of their daughters, Connie, told the local media she had reservations about her parents attending the reunion and spoke to them before they left and asked if they still planned to go to the gathering.
"And they said: 'Oh yeah! It's a very small event this year; we know everyone who is going to be there,'" MacDowell said.
During those days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had not yet issued a statewide stay-at-home order.
The couple had no way of knowing they would come into contact with a friend who had COVID-19, since that friend was asymptomatic or not showing any symptoms at the reunion.
MacDowell said she was disclosing her parents' experience on Facebook as a warning to people who believe the coronavirus is "no big deal, that they will not get sick, that it won't happen to them."
"Maybe not, but you might give it to someone else, or someone may give it to your Mom and/or Dad," she wrote. "You will not be able to go in the hospital to comfort them, to tell them how much you love them, to be strong, to keep fighting...it is excruciating!"
As of Monday afternoon, her post reached 3,000 shares and garnered more than 950 comments.
If it is you that gets sick, she continued, "no one will be allowed to be with you either, not any of your family or friends."
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"Imagine not being able to breathe and being scared and being alone," MacDowell wrote, adding that "wonderful nurses and doctors" could become your lifeline while you're away from your loved ones.
She reminded people of the importance of vigilance, wearing masks, social distancing, and washing their hands.
And she concluded her post by expressing her hopes that no one has to ever go through what she and her family have.
"We are just your everyday ordinary family going through the toughest time of our lives losing both our parents....don't let it be you," she wrote. "Be safe, everyone."
According to their obituary, Peter Baker served in the U.S. Navy and retired as a captain from the New Jersey State Police after a 32-year career. Eleanor "had a strong faith," maintaining a lifelong devotion and service to the Catholic church.
"They loved each other dearly, raised a beautiful family, and made friends with everyone they met."
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Eleanor and Peter's five children, their children's spouses, 13 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren remain to be living proof of their love for their family.
As of Tuesday, there are already 27,869 total cases of COVID-19 in Florida, with 867 deaths, according to the Department of Health.
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