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Cary, N.C. — A Clayton couple who were married 52 years left this life the same way they lived it – together.
On its blog, written from an unnamed nurse’s perspective, WakeMed told the story of Thomas and Diane Fortenberry, who passed away January 13th at WakeMed Cary hospital.
Thomas and Diane, 69 and 68, contracted COVID-19 over the Christmas holidays. When it became clear that neither would be able to recover from the virus, WakeMed said, the couple’s two daughters made “the most difficult decision of their lives” to withdraw life support.
But first, WakeMed Cary doctors, nurses, and staff teamed up to help move Diane into her husband’s room in the ICU so they could hold each other’s hand at the end.
“Spiritual Care was able to support the family and give them memory stones with their parent’s fingerprints on them,” WakeMed said. “The once sterile space of a hospital room became a calm space for a family to spend their last moments together.”
After their family shared some time with them, the couple were extubated together. She passed away four minutes before he did.
“With their daughters standing beside them, husband and wife were side by side, holding hands, their heads facing one another and, I swear Mr. Fortenberry had a smile on his face,” the blogpost said. “Our staff watched from inside and outside of the room while they drifted to the next life together. Calm, peaceful and pain free.”
“It was the most beautiful and heartbreaking experience I have had in my 20 years of nursing,” the unnamed charge nurse said. “We did a great thing, and I am so proud of the team that I work with at Cary Hospital.”
“Tommy and Diane had such an amazing love for each other,” the family said in the couple’s obituary. “We don’t believe their leaving their earthly home only 4 minutes apart was a coincidence.”
According to the obituary, Thomas and Diane Fortenberry married in high school in McComb, Mississippi in 1970. Thomas served in the National Guard during Vietnam. After defeating breast cancer, Diane most recently worked at Hendricks Kia. The couple had two grandchildren.