A Sugar City couple, inseparable during their 48-year marriage, died within five days of each other this month, as a result of COVID-19.

Debbie Morgan passed away on Dec. 15 while her husband, Craig Morgan, followed on Dec. 20.

“They’re happy being back together,” said their daughter Kelly Romine.

St. Anthony Funeral Home Director Bert Flamm reports that he has had similar situations happen where a long married couple dies within hours or days of each other.

“They don’t want to go through life alone and be lonely,” he said. “They (are) hanging on for each other. We see that more often than not. Each one of them thinks they have to be there for the other until their health gets so poor, one can’t hang on, and then the other one goes not long after that.”

Doctors diagnosed Craig with COVID-19 on Dec. 11, admitting him into the Idaho Falls-based Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center the same day that his wife died. Romine managed to get a phone call to her dad shortly before he was intubated tell him that Debbie had died.

“I only got to talk to him for a couple of minutes. I let him know my mom had passed away. I could tell he was really sad. From there, he was put on a ventilator that was never taken off. He was on it from Tuesday until we took him off on Sunday. He wasn’t conscious,” she said.

Debbie had spent the past two years living at the St. Anthony Homestead being treated for multiple sclerosis. She developed COVID-19 the first of November.

It had been heartbreaking for Craig to be separated from Debbie, Romine said.

“I just know he really missed my mom. There would be times I would go over to the house and give him a hug because he missed my mom so much,” she said.

Initially, Romine urged Craig to be strong after entering the hospital, but she knew he wanted to be with Debbie.

“He missed my mom so much and probably just hearing his wife had passed away — he would rather be with her than be in the hospital on life support,” she said.

Those with underlying medical conditions such as the Morgans had — with Debbie suffering from MS and Craig experiencing diabetes — made them susceptible for the coronavirus.

“(Dad’s doctor) said that he wasn’t going to get any better. He said ‘If it were me, I wouldn’t want my family member to suffer.’ I said to him, ‘I know my dad would rather be with my mom.’ We could have kept him on all of these life saving factors, but he (his spirit) wouldn’t be there,” she said.

After discussing the situation with her sister, Wendy, and the girls’ four foster siblings the Morgans raised, the family decided to let Craig pass on Sunday.

It was a bittersweet moment, but Romine said she felt both her mom and dad’s spirits following Craig’s death.

“My husband hugged me so close and said ‘You’re mom’s here.’ I didn’t see anything, but I felt them right there together in that room. I could feel it was a joyous occasion they were having together. I could feel (them) together embracing and just being so excited,” she said.

Craig and Debbie met on a date at the former Ricks College in the fall of 1971 and married in April the following year.

“They fell head over heels for each other,” Romine said.

Unable to have any biological children, they eventually adopted infants Kelly and Wendy. Wanting to have a large family they cared for four foster daughters for several years.

Craig and Debbie worked together as custodians for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints buildings. Craig also drove a school bus for more than two decades while Debbie ran a wedding cake business for many years.

Losing both of her parents just prior to Christmas has been stressful, but Romine says she’s getting through it.

“I haven’t slept much. I just said goodbye to dad yesterday. I’m doing the things I’ve got to do, but it seems surreal. This just doesn’t seem like real life, but I’ve put on my big girl pants. I’m going to work and getting what needs to be done, done,” she said.

Romine urged everyone to wear a mask to stop the spread of COVID-19. Romine believes her parents could have lived many more years if it hadn’t been for the disease.

“I just want everyone to know, COVID is real. For those who believe COVID is a government conspiracy, I just hope you don’t end up having a loved one pass away. It’s real. It took my parents. Wear your mask, people. COVID is real.”

Plans call to have a joint funeral for the Morgans, Monday, at 11 a.m. in the Heritage Park Ward Chapel, 6 North Teton, in Sugar City.

“We’re actually doing a double funeral. They would want to be together,” Romine said. “My parents are having a party. I’d rather be at their party than be here mourning. It makes me happy that they’re together, but I’m just going to miss them a lot.”