A Wisconsin couple were together 73 years before they died of coronavirus just 6 hours apart

• An elderly Wisconsin couple who spent 73 years together died within six hours of each other as they battled the coronavirus.
• Their granddaughter, Natalie Lameka, told Milwaukee's TMJ4 News that hospital staff placed Mary and Wilford Kepler's beds together, and the couple held hands.
• "It was just heartbreaking to hear, but also heartwarming to hear," Lameka said.
• Most hospitals have implemented no-visitor rules, meaning that coronavirus patients have been dying without loved ones by their side.
• But Lameka said she took comfort from the fact that her grandparents were together right up until the very end.
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A Wisconsin couple who spent 73 years together also spent their last hours together as they battled the coronavirus, according to their granddaughter.

Natalie Lameka told Milwaukee's TMJ4 News that her grandparents, Mary and Wilford Kepler died just six hours apart in a Wauwatosa hospital.

Lameka said it's unclear how the couple first contracted the coronavirus. She said the couple was kept together in the same hospital room since both were infected, and they had been holding hands throughout their stay.

"It was just heartbreaking to hear, but also heartwarming to hear. And we're just so thankful that they were together and that they were aware that they were together," Lameka said. "They were able to say, 'I love you.'"

The fact that the couple was kept together was a huge comfort to their family, who were unable to visit them in the hospital, Lameka told the outlet.

Most hospitalized coronavirus patients across the country haven't had that luxury — the virus is so contagious that most hospitals have implemented no-visitor rules, meaning that patients have been dying without their loved ones by their sides.

Some Americans have even reported saying their final goodbyes via FaceTime or by phone.

Lameka told TMJ4 News that she and her brother were the last two relatives to see the Keplers in person before they died, but other family members had to make do with FaceTime calls.

She said she took comfort from the fact that hospital staff had placed the Keplers' beds together.

"Losing them sucks," she told TMJ4. "The way that they went out is something that we are going to remember forever."

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