South Carolina Grandparents Found Cuddled Together In Bed After Being Killed By A Tree That Crashed Through Their Home During Hurricane Helene

A tragic ending to a beautiful love story. Of course, much of the southeast is facing unimaginable devastation in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee completely wiped out and hundreds still missing even almost a week later. So far, over 200 people have been confirmed dead, though that number is continuing to rise daily as emergency crews are able to make their way in to assess the tragic situation. And while stories of heroism and neighbors helping neighbors have started to come in, this one is not as hopeful as I wish it was. Two grandparents, Marcia (74) and Jerry Savage (78) were found hugging each other in their bed after being killed by a tree that fell through their bedroom at their Beech Island, South Carolina home. They were teenage sweethearts, who were married for over 50 years. Their 22-year-old grandson John Savage spoke to The Associated Press, saying he had checked in on his grandparents just moments before the tree fell, after he heard the snap of a different tree. When he went in, he says they were "fine": "We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them. They were both fine, the dog was fine." He then heard a much louder "boom" on the property, and says he was in sheer panic mode seeing the tree in the bedroom "All you could see was ceiling and tree. I was just going through sheer panic at that point." He says their family believes it was God's plan for them to go together that way, so neither one had to watch their spouse suffer. "When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try and protect my grandmother." John also told the AP that his grandfather was a handyman who worked mostly as an electrician and a carpenter. Marcia was a retired bank teller. Katherine Savage (27) said her grandma was active at their church, and was always singing gospel music. She cooked for the family at the holidays, and for decades, Marcia and John had their family over for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. They have set up a GoFundMe set up to raise money for funeral expenses, and so far, they have raised over $8,000 of their $15,000 goal. The couple is survived by their son Mark Savage and daughter Tammy Estep (Darrell), as well as four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. It's just one of many heartbreaking stories from this horrific hurricane, and absolutely rips your heart in half to read. I have been filled with hope and gratitude, though, seeing so many private businesses and people stepping up during this dire time for the people in western North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and beyond, though it doesn't make stories like this any less gut-wrenching.

RIP Marcia and Jerry.

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