Yahoo Finance Couple Married 35 Years Dies of Coronavirus Days Apart as Daughter Says They Were Her ‘Best Friends’
A California couple who were married for 35 years both died of coronavirus complications just 11 days apart from one another, according to local reports.
The month of July was a whirlwind for the Robinson family, as husband Keith and wife Gwendolyn were admitted to the hospital two days apart with symptoms of COVID-19, their son Delon Adams told CNN.
The couple, who met in high school and were described as having a "true love bird story," both suffered from underlying conditions: Keith, 62, had diabetes, while Gwendolyn, 60, had asthma and MDS, a type of blood cancer, the outlet reported.
Keith, a truck driver for UPS, was reportedly admitted on July 12 after developing minor coronavirus symptoms. His wife, who worked at a veteran's home, was sent home from work with COVID-19 symptoms and was taken to the hospital two days later.
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"The following day, my sister said, 'Mom, I think we should take you in.' And that was the last time we physically touched her or saw her," Adams told CNN.
Four days after being admitted to the hospital, Gwendolyn died. She was able to say goodbye to her grandchildren and Adams through FaceTime, according to the outlet.
Keith continued to fight the illness in the hospital, where he had both good days and bad days, Adams said.
"They always seemed to get it under control, but on July 29, it went downhill," he explained.
Eleven days after his wife's death, Keith reportedly began having kidney trouble and stopped breathing before doctors could start dialysis.
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"This is rough," Adams said. "It's one thing to know you are going to lose your parents eventually —but to know that you just saw them last week...and you never see them again, it's a shock."
Daughter Eboni Hunter also expressed pain at the loss of her parents, telling KGO-TV that their bond was incredibly close.
"It's tough for me. I'm still in the house, and they were my best friends," she said. "So I'm going to miss them a lot because they really were my best friends."
Keith and Gwendolyn were inseparable and would spend every weekend together, their son added.
"You know it was them because they had the same clothes on," he recalled. "They would dress alike. If it was Sunday, it was 49ers gear. If it was during the week, it was Warriors gear or Giants gear."
The pair even had pet names for one another — Keith called his wife "Bright Eyes" and Gwendolyn called him "Grizzly," Adams told the outlet.
The couple is survived by their four children and ten grandchildren, according to CNN.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Robinsons' funeral.
As of Thursday afternoon, there have been at least 4.8 million cases and 158,552 deaths attributed to coronavirus in the United States, according to The New York Times.
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