Couple Dies From Coronavirus Side-By-Side After 53 Years of Marriage

FORT WORTH, TX – After a marriage of 53 years, a Forth Worth couple passed away from coronavirus side-by-side and holding hands.

According to KCBD, Curtis and Betty Tarpley tested positive for COVID-19 at the same time earlier this month.  According to their son, Tim Tarpley, Betty was admitted to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital before Curtis and began to decline faster.

“My mom called me and said, ‘Hey, I want to let you know I’m ready to go.’ And I yelled and screamed,” said Tarpley.

Tarpley then contacted his father who was on a different floor of the hospital to let him know what was going on with Betty.

‘Well, she’s not good. She may not make it past tomorrow.’ It was like at that moment, knowing that my mom was then gonna go, it was OK for him to go,” Tarpley said.

According to Tarpley, nurses, especially one known as Blake, at the hospital made sure Betty and Curtis were in the same room during their last moments.

“He [Blake] really went out of his way to get my mom moved from her room to his room, and then, he just placed their hands near each other. Next thing we know, they grabbed each other’s hand, and that’s how they went,” Tim Tarpley said.