Elderly Illinois couple die hours apart after contracting coronavirus, family uncertain how they became infected
SKOKIE, ILLINOIS: An elderly couple from Skokie, Illinois, died of the coronavirus only hours apart over the weekend. Feliks Ogorodnik, 88, and his wife, Luiza, 84, passed away on Saturday, March 28, at Glenbrook Hospital in suburban Glenview, as told by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The medical examiner’s office also said that the couple died of pneumonia with COVID-19 and other preexisting conditions as contributing factors. Shortly before 5 pm, Feliks succumbed to the disease and just about four and a half hours after his wife died.
According to reports, the elderly couple is the first married pair that officials in Illinois have identified as succumbing to the coronavirus. They emigrated from Ukraine more than two decades ago and “were very grateful to be here and become US citizens.” “They always strived to improve their English and learn more about the United States,” an obituary by Chicago Jewish Funerals stated.
The obituary also mentioned that before moving to the States, Feliks used to work as a supply manager for a construction company. For him, his family was everything and he loved gardening. “He always shared his harvest with family and neighbors. His family was everything to him,” the obituary noted.
His wife Luiza worked as a physician in Ukraine. The 84-year-old “was a very energetic woman, full of optimism and life. She loved people and always sought to help those around her.”
They were survived by two daughters, Irina Greenwald and Janina Schnaper, and four grandchildren. “They were a beautiful couple. Very loving and wonderful grandparents and very integral to our family,” their son-in-law, Ed Greenwald, said Monday. He said the family is not certain how they became infected.
“They were very loving and kind. They were so proud. (They) still struggled with English but (the grandmother) got up and spoke. They were very intelligent people,” told Rabbi Andrea London, who saw the couple in February at a grandson’s bar mitzvah, told Chicago Tribune.
This comes days after a woman from Illinois succumbed to the pandemic. Wanda Bailey died just a week after her sister, Patricia Frieson, became Illinois’ first coronavirus fatality.
The 63-year-old Bailey died on March 25 morning of pneumonia due to the coronavirus infection, with hypertension, heart disease and COPD serving as contributing factors, as said by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She was pronounced dead at St James Hospital in Olympia Fields.
Frieson, a retired nurse, passed away on March 16 after testing positive for COVID-19 just a day earlier. The sister’s brother, Anthony Frieson, shared an emotional post on social media remembering them as he wrote: “Pat and Wanda loved their family and more importantly loved their Lord. In a blink of an eye, life can change. Please continue to pray for our family.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 860,000 people worldwide. The US alone has more than 180,000 positive cases and over 4,000 people have died of the disease.