Faces of COVID-19: Coping With the Loss of Multiple Family Members

It has now been a year since the official start of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Texas.

Soon after, families across DFW began to share their stories of loss.

Stories that continue today.

Her son, her husband and her daughter.

Three lives were taken by coronavirus, one by one.

Her son, Henry Crawford Jr., an elementary school employee:

“He was 33-years-old and the kids and the faculty there loved him,” she said.

Her husband, Henry Royce Crawford:

 “A retired worker of the Dallas Water Department and he was 65-years-old,” she said. “We were waiting to retire together to travel.”

And her daughter, Natalia:

“My daughter worked for United Healthcare. She was 38-years-old,” said Crawford. “I have done three funerals in a row for the last three weeks.”

Crawford said her son contracted the virus first. It is unclear where he got sick.

Her daughter tested positive the next day.

Within days, her husband had to take his son and then his daughter to the emergency room.

Both had trouble breathing.

As their children’s condition worsened, Henry Sr. became sick too.

He was hospitalized for only 13 days before passing away.

“My son died on the 15, and as we were doing his viewing that Friday, my husband died,” she said. “And then, the morning of my husband’s funeral, my daughter died. So back to back to back.”

Sherry Tutt has been there too.

NBC 5 profiled Tutt last July. Tutt lost her mother Doris and her only sister Lakecial to COVID-19 on the same day in June, just hours apart.

“My mom was my best friend,” she tearfully said in 2020.

Several families became sick after a Mother’s Day get-together, she said.

Nine months have passed and although the pain is still there, it’s getting better.

“I’m actually doing better than I anticipated,” said Tutt.

She credits her faith and the outpouring of support for helping her through.

“God is continuing to give me strength through it all,” she said.

Tutt believes “re-opening” Texas at full capacity is premature.

Crawford is grateful for her employer: Parkland Hospital. She was among the first to be offered the COVID-19 vaccine.

“That’s the only reason I’m still here, is because I got my shots,” she said. “Every night, I went to bed with my husband and he had COVID and I did not know.”

Crawford's colleagues at Parkland started a GoFundMe account to help the family. Click here for more information.

She urges everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, “because you never know when COVID might give you a visit.”

Both families continue to cope with heartache by looking to their faith.

“Right now, I can say God said they served their purpose and he brought them home,” said Tutt.

“I know that my family is in Heaven together and that gets me through daily,” said Crawford.