Grandparents found hugging after being killed by fallen tree
Marcia Savage, 74, and Jerry Savage, 78, had already turned in for the night as Hurricane Helene roared outside.
Their 22-year-old grandson, John Savage, had checked in on them to make sure they were fine after he heard a snap.
“We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them. They were both fine, the dog was fine." he recalled.
But not long after disaster struck and John and his father heard a "boom" as one of the largest trees on their property in Beech Island, South Carolina came crashing down on top of his grandparents' bedroom, killing them.
“All you could see was ceiling and tree,” he said. “I was just going through sheer panic at that point.”
John said his grandparents were found hugging one another in the bed, in what he described as a final heroic act from Jerry who tried to protect his wife.
“When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try to protect my grandmother,” he said.
Jerry did all sorts of handy work but worked mostly as an electrician and carpenter. Jerry went “in and out of retirement because he got bored”.
“He’d get that spirit back in him to go back out and work," his grandson said.
Marcia was a retired bank teller who was very involved in their church.
Their daughter Tammy Estep said Marcia loved cooking for her family, especially for Thanksgiving, and was known for her banana pudding.
The couple were high school sweethearts and were married for more than 50 years, with Tammy recalling that "their love was immediate, and it was everlasting”.
“They loved each other to their dying day,” John said.
The couple are among more than 150 people confirmed dead in one of the deadliest storms in US history.
A GoFundMe organised for their funeral expenses says that they were survived by their son and daughter, along with their four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Images: Facebook