Florida couple married 66 years dies minutes apart of coronavirus complications

A Florida couple died from COVID-19 just minutes apart while lying in hospice together earlier this month, after being married for 66 years, The Associated Press reports.

According to the news agency, the couple, Bill and Esther Ilnisky, were 82 and 92, respectively, when they died on the first of the month at a hospice in Palm Beach County.

The couple, who would have celebrated their 67th anniversary this past weekend, had worked together for decades in roles serving a Christian ministry and traveling the world.

The two reportedly met as students at Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., and became a couple not long after.

Sarah Milewski, who was adopted by the couple at the age of 2, told the news agency that, “When my dad proposed, he told her, ‘Esther, I can’t promise you wealth, but I can promise you lots of adventure.’”

“She had a lot, a lot of adventure,” Milewski added.

The family had reportedly lived in Jamaica, where they ran a church in Montego Bay, and later lived in Lebanon. There, Bill Ilnisky reportedly ministered and Esther Ilnisky had an outreach center.

Last year, during the pandemic, Milewski told the news agency that her parents practiced coronavirus guidelines advised by public health experts. However, she added that her father would sometimes leave the house just “to be around people.”

“He couldn’t take it,” she said. “He needed to be around people.”

The couple reportedly became sick in mid-February, after seeing Milewski on Valentine’s Day.

Within days, the couple was reportedly diagnosed with coronavirus and placed in hospital care. They were later placed in a hospice room together in late February and died on March 1, fifteen minutes apart.

While Milewski called her parents’ deaths “horrible,” she told the news agency “it is so precious, so wonderful, such a heartwarming feeling to know they went together.”

“They were always, always together. So in sync,” she added.