MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Michelle Krone never thought she would say goodbye to her father while draped in PPE.

"I was called on Thursday the 23rd on his 81st birthday and was told he was terminal," she said.

St. Therese of New Hope announced Wednesday that roughly half of the residents at the facility had been infected with COVID-19.

A day later, the long-term care facility announced 47 residents had died.

When Krone went into St. Therese with her mother, it was the first time she had seen him in weeks. It took him about 30 minutes to recognize the pair, but "we starting feeding him and just held his hands," said Krone.

"My mother made the decision that she didn't want to watch him die. She wanted to go home," Krone said. They knew he wasn't going to make it through the night.

Robert Krone died eight days after his family found out he had COVID-19.

"My mother got the call on the house phone Sunday morning on the 19th that he was positive for COVID," said Krone.

More than a month before his diagnosis, on March 12, St. Therese of New Hope stopped allowing in-person visits. Krone says the next facility-wide update came on April 23, telling families that COVID-19 was making its way through the center.

"We wanted to know - and this was before his diagnosis - how bad was it, do we need to take him out of the facility and bring him home," Krone said.

Krone's mother Margaret is now showing symptoms and waiting for COVID-19 test results. Michelle Krone was tested too.

"We were able to hold his hand and tell him how much we loved him, and appreciated the sacrifices and how he was a good father," said Krone.

The Krone family says they have filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Health against St. Therese, citing lack of communication with families, and concerns over lack of PPE and proper staffing.

The facility says they never violated the CDC's recommendations.

Though MDH did not find problems at the facility during an April 1 survey, they have said they will investigate complaints.