Couple Bill and Jill Calderone have been married for 76 years. The couple was both 100 years old before they died from coronavirus two weeks apart.
According to their son, Ron Calderone, their parents were doing great when they first entered the nursing home. Ron shared with an interview with PEOPLE," My good lord, they looked terrific."
However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit their nursing home, the couple was one of the firsts who got affected.
Bill was the first one who caught the virus. He was sharing a room with his wife, Jill. Eventually, Jill got the virus as well.
The battle of the couple against coronavirus
When Ron learned about his parents' condition, they were only able to see them through FaceTime. The nursing home had to implement social distancing restrictions, so visitors were not allowed.
Ron described his calls to his parents as awful. He recalled how his father could not even answer him on the phone.
During their calls to his parents, Ron also felt that all they wanted to do was to go home.
On May 6, Bill died from coronavirus. Two weeks after that, on May 20, his wife, Jill, also died from coronavirus.
Ron and his family are taking the tragic death painfully. For Ron, he considers his parents as his entire life. He said, "There's despair you feel that comes from not being able to see these two people that I've lived with for 72 years."
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The love story of the couple who died from coronavirus
Bill Calderone was a retired member of the Marine. He was part of the men who fought during World War II and the Korean War. On the other hand, Jill was a real estate agent and a devoted gardener.
Bill and Jill are high school sweethearts in Rhode Island. They got married in 1944. They had two children, Richard and Ron.
According to Ron, his father is a man who is precise in all things. Even when he was already 99 years old, he still chooses to cut the grass at his backyard using a lawnmower.
His mother, Jill, suffered from Alzheimer's disease but still remembers some of the memories they spent together as mother and son. Just like the dance competition that they won in 1962.
The family's call to the public regarding the coronavirus
Despite contracting the virus in a nursing home, the family of the couple who died from coronavirus does not take it against the staff. Ron says they remain grateful for taking care of their loved ones.
However, the family is calling for the public to continue being cautious of the virus. He says that this is a serious matter, and people should not take it lightly. Ron also said, "For all those people who think that this virus is nothing more than the flu, come with me to the cemetery."
