100-Year-Old Couple, Together 82 Years, Dies From Coronavirus 2 Weeks Apart
CRANSTON, R.I. (CBS) - Two smiling sweethearts among the many stolen by COVID-19. Bill and Jill Caldarone, of Cranston, Rhode Island, lived 100 years. They were married 76 and together for 82.
"Throughout their whole life, everything they did was Bill and Jill of Federal Hill," said their son, Ron Caldarone.
Ron and his wife lived next door to the elder Caldarones for 35 years. He saw them daily - until everything changed this spring. Jill went to the hospital for chest pain. Husband Bill fell and suffered an injury trying to drive after her ambulance. The couple went to a nursing home to recover. And then coronavirus made its way into their facility. Ron and other relatives could no longer visit. Their final conversations happened by video call.
"The video - be careful what you wish for. When I saw my parents I was shocked. They went from looking really good - smiling old folks - to debilitation. Breathing hard. Not being able to relate to what I was saying. It left this impression with me and I never wanted to do that again," he recalled.
Bill passed first; his bride joined him in heaven just two weeks later. Ron remembers that phone call from one of his parents' wonderful nurses.
"What she said was that 'Your mother was very comfortable. And when I said to her "Jill it's okay, follow your Marine. Follow Bill." She died within a heartbeat of saying that. She let go,'" Ron recalled.
As the world finds a new normal this summer, for 72-year-old Ron, life won't ever be the same. COVID-19 took so much.
"I would suggest if people want to see the seriousness of this illness just come to the cemetery. There are literally every day six or seven people getting buried. Most of them are from this virus. It affects everyone," he said.
Even in their grief, the family won't fixate on the terrible tail end. How could they, when the overwhelming majority was beautiful and good?
"To end like it did was tragic. The rest of the story is a romantic love story and actually right to the end," Ron said. "They passed down to my family strength, integrity, independence. That's my parents. I'm very proud of them."
