By Sarah Tate
Dec 17, 2020
A North Carolina family is in mourning after losing two important members last weekend to the coronavirus.
Sherwood Lee Pope, 82, and
Doris Knox Pope, 78, had been married for 61 years and lived in Coats. Though they were both sick with COVID-19, they were together through the end, passing away while still holding hands.
Shelton Pope, one of the couple s three sons, said his parents, who both had previous medical conditions, started getting sick after Thanksgiving. Mom didn t really want to go to the hospital, said Shelton. [She] figured she could do it on her own.
They eventually did go to UNC Rex Hospital, where they stayed for a week before passing away. Sherwood and Doris were originally split up in separate rooms. As they became more ill, however, the hospital allowed them to share a room.
Updated December 15, 2020 6:03 p.m. EST
By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter
Coats, N.C. COVID-19 continues to spread across North Carolina. The virus has claimed the lives of a couple who shared the utmost devotion until the very end.
Sherwood Lee Pope, 82, and his wife, Doris Knox Pope, 78, of Coats, died Monday at UNC Rex Hospital. They were side by side and holding hands. They had been married for 61 years.
Shelton Pope, one of the couple s three sons, said that they started feeling sick the weekend after Thanksgiving. Mom didn t really want to go to the hospital. (She) figured she could do it on her own, Shelton Pope said.