Dying husband and wife, Virginia and Tommy Stevens, pushed hospital beds together so the couple who married in 1954 could spend their last moments together
- Virginia and Tommy Stevens were high school sweethearts who attended the same college and married in 1954
- Hospital staff decided to move the beds together after realizing their family was having difficulty splitting time between the couple
- The pair continued to hold hands until the end
In a moving yet heartbreaking moment, a man and a woman died after spending much of the past 69 years together.
Virginia and Tommy Stevens, both 91, met while attending Dobyns-Bennett High School together in Kingsport, Tennessee, and married in 1954 after attending the University of Tennessee.
Tommy was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital for Alzheimer’s disease and aspiration pneumonia. While there, his wife Virginia fell and was rushed to the same hospital.
The staff stacked their beds together while they were being treated and held hands until the end.
Tommy died on September 8, while Virginia died nine days later on September 17.
Virginia and Tommy Stevens, both 91, met while attending Dobyns-Bennett High School together in Kingsport, Tenn., and married in 1954 after attending the University of Tennessee.
Tommy was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital for Alzheimer’s disease and aspiration pneumonia. While there, his wife Virginia fell and was rushed to the same hospital
Virginia and Tom lived in various places in the eastern United States, while Tom served in the Army and worked for Burlington Industries after being honorably discharged in 1962.
Eventually the couple moved to Memphis, where they had their children, Karen and Greg, and founded and built Distribution and Transportation Services, Inc.
They turned the company into a large independent transportation and logistics family of companies in the southeastern US
After more than 50 years in the business world, Tommy and Virginia retired and moved to Franklin, Tennessee, to be near their children and grandchildren.
Doyle Thomas Stevens Jr., also known as Tommy, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and lived in a memory care unit at the assisted living facility in Virginia.
After contracting aspiration pneumonia and sepsis, he was transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. When treatments started to fail, he was transferred to the Palliative Care Unit.
The same morning Tommy was taken to the VUMC. Virginia fell and suffered six broken ribs, a spinal fracture and a hip injury. She was also taken to the VUMC and admitted to the trauma unit.
The PCU staff decided to move their beds together after realizing their family was having trouble splitting time between the couple.
Karen Kreager, their daughter said, “He was awake when she came in.” His eyes were open. He didn’t communicate much, just small whispers. But he knew she was there and she would be by his side.
‘They haven’t stopped holding hands the whole time. She won’t let him go.’
Virginia said at the time, “You know, it helped me a lot. It just gave me peace not to have to worry about him. He would be with me.”
‘They haven’t stopped holding hands the whole time. She won’t let him go
In addition to their son and daughter, the Stevens had four grandchildren and one great-grandchild
Dr. Mohana Karlekar, medical director of the Palliative Care Program at Vanderbilt, said seeing the couple together was a reminder of what’s really important.
“From the moment we brought Mrs. Stevens, she held her husband’s hand and fussed over him in a very loving way,” he said.
“She was able to tell me on Monday that she was at peace with what was going on and that she wanted to stay there until the end,” Karlekar said.
In addition to their son and daughter, they had four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.