This couple married for 70 years were scheduled to get the Covid-19 vaccine, but died from the virus before their appointment elisfkc2 / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 Childhood sweethearts who were inseparable during their 70 years of marriage died of Covid-19 while holding hands in an Ohio hospital, their family told CNN. Dick Meek, 89, and Shirley Meek, 87, passed away within minutes of each other on January 16 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the family said. “They never had to go through ‘until death do us part,'” said their daughter Debbie Howell. “They never had to do that because they were together and we’re ever so grateful.”