Dick and Shirley Meek, who have been married for more than 70 years, shook hands while dying within minutes of each other due to the new coronavirus. Their favorite music played softly in the background.
“It was a beautiful passing,” reads an obituary from Fischer Funeral Home. “Theirs was a love story for all ages. They had a fairy-tale ending … Our hearts are shattered, but we are at peace knowing they are together forever.”
The Ohio couple, aged 89 and 87, died on January 16, about a week after testing positive for coronavirus and being admitted to Riverside Hospital in Columbus, according to local newspaper WBNS. They would receive the vaccine three days later.
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“Mom passed first,” says Debbie Howell, a daughter of the couple. “They held hands. The nurse put mom’s head on my dad’s shoulder and said to dad, ‘Dick, it’s OK to let go now. Shirley is waiting for you,’ and he’s gone in minutes.”
Howell and her sisters Vicki Harper and Kelly Meek told WBNS that precautions were facilitated to celebrate the couple’s 22nd wedding anniversary on Dec. 22, after which the couple caught a cold. After their conditions rapidly deteriorated in the hospital, leaving no treatment options left, the hospital staff agreed to let the couple share a room so they could be with each other.
The obituary describes the couple as loves from the youth, who led lives of love and passion.
“They were a life of adventure – from scuba diving to a zipper, their bucket list was incredible !! With a fervent love for family, they have always made time for each other. They met every day, no matter where they were the world, at 3:00 for an appointment and a toast to each other, “reads the obituary.
“We have years of fond memories of holiday parties, backyard cooking, holidays, birthdays, days at the beach, annual Meek Family Game Show nights, making silly family videos, water skiing and boating, love, laughter and togetherness. We live with them as inspiration was a wild and crazy ride !! “
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The daughters shared the story of the couple to urge others to stay safe amid the virus.
Dick, or Edwin Richard, Meek served in the U.S. Air Force as a sergeant and was a carpenter, while Shirley worked for Burger Chef for 25 years and was a great cook and homemaker, according to the obituary.
They are survived by five children, 13 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews.