NC couple dies from COVID-19 minutes apart, holding hands

ROWAN COUNTY, NC (WBTV) — A husband and wife, married for 48 years, died within four minutes of each other, holding hands, in the hospital in Salisbury one week ago from COVID-19. Their funeral was held Wednesday.

“They were married 48 years, been together 50, they walked hand in hand for those 50 years,” said son Shane Peoples.

One week ago today, Shane Peoples says he was cheated. His mom and dad, 67-year-old Johnny Lee Peoples and 65-year-old Cathy Darlene Peoples died from COVID-19. It marked the end of a thirty day ordeal of both parents contracting the virus, rapidly declining, and then dying. It started with his mother, just days away from retirement.

“It was mainly the fever and loss of taste,” Peoples said. “My dad starting showing symptoms two days later. About two weeks later they were both put in the ICU. Everything just went south, everything just got worse.”

And when the end was in sight, Shane says the hospital staff did what it could to bring the couple together.

“The next day they put them in the same room, same ICU room, they put their hands together, the nurses gathered around and they passed within four minutes of each other,” Peoples said.

The funeral was held outside, socially distanced, on Wednesday morning.

Read more here.