Rosie and Jerry Morrow of Cedar Rapids. Two more people recently added to the list of Iowans killed by COVID-19. Like all the other people who have been taken from us during this horrific pandemic, Rosie and Jerry have a story. A long love story.

Rosie and Jerry first fell in love in the early 1970s. A little more than a decade later, they would marry. KCRG says they had been together for 47 years, and married for 35, when coronavirus led to both of their deaths in November. They had each been in and out of the hospital multiple times over a two week period as they battled the virus. The Gazette reports Jerry passed away early in the afternoon on Saturday, November 21. Rosie's death came just 11 hours and 42 minutes later, early the following morning.

Adding to their family's ability to cope is that the family is so large they won't all be able to attend the Celebration of Life services for the couple, due to COVID gathering restrictions in the state. Restrictions the family fully understands. Still, it forces many of the members of the family that includes 39 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren to mourn apart.

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Rosie and Jerry's son Dounte, told KCRG,

They loved to cook, they loved to sing, they loved to dance, and share their knowledge the best way they could. You can’t explain the situation of being apart from your parents. It left an empty heart in a sense.

A GoFundMe account set up to help the family with funeral expenses has raised nearly $3,000 thus far.

As of this morning, the Iowa Department of Public Health reports 2,449 Iowans have now died of COVID-19. Every one of them leaves behind people who loved them and miss them terribly.

Here are some tips for self-care during the pandemic:

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