Mother & Father Die Within Days Of Each Other After Coronavirus Fight

DENVER (CBS4) - Dottie and Jim Russ were married for nearly 70 years before passing away within days of each other in Colorado. Their oldest daughter Jeannie Davis spoke about her parents with CBS4.

"She raised her kids in a respectable fashion and others looked up to that," Davis said.

Her father was a community advocate in the Pittsburgh area who she says was recently honored for his work with a proclamation from the city.

"He was selected as an entrepreneur that made a difference," Davis said.

Last week she lost both of them. Her mother confirmed to have COVID-19, and her father is presumed to have passed from the virus as well.

"I hurt. It hurts. It's painful. These are my parents, and I'm going to miss them, yet I get some comfort in knowing they are together," she said.

The couple shared a room at Holly Heights nursing home in Denver, where Executive Director Janet Snipes says they have been fighting an uphill battle and doing it with limited protection.

"I think nursing homes are front line for this pandemic, and until we can get the resources to nursing homes we are not going to see this pandemic come to an end," Snipes said.

State and local officials are starting to recognize that, bringing in the Colorado National Guard for more testing at some of those facilities and increasing inspections to ensure proper protocol is followed.

Snipes said the National Guard interviewed staff at her facility, watched them put on and take off PPE and reviewed records. She says their safety protocols have been in place in their facility for some time, and their inspection ended with no citations.

Davis commends them for their tireless work, and while her parents are no longer by her side she says rainbows showing up in her room remind her they will always be with her.

"All I could do was look at the sky, up at the ceiling and say 'Okay, I know you made it. I know you got there. I love you,'" she said.

The Colorado National Guard started the enhanced testing on Sunday at a facility in El Paso County. They will move to facilities in Adams County and Broomfield County this week.

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