Love in the Time of COVID-19

Colonel Ollie Herbert Edwards and his wife, Virginia Mitchell Edwards, had a special lunch date today, complete with chocolate cake. Because they live in the same household, they didn’t have to remain six feet apart as COVID-19 guidelines recommend. However, their servers—a nurse and an MCT—were dressed out in full PPE (personal protective equipment). That’s because the Edwards are both hospitalized at East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) with COVID-19.

The couple, who celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary today, are four years apart in age, and four rooms apart in the hospital. However, EAMC employees moved 83-year-old Virginia into the patient room of 87-year-old Ollie at 11:30 today for the couple to enjoy a special anniversary lunch together.

Along with the special lunch, the couple was showered with balloons, flowers, decorations, and an anniversary card signed by employees. Plus, all three of their children—Sherry, Gary and Candy, and some of their five grandchildren—were connected to the celebration through FaceTime.

Today marked the first time the Auburn couple has seen each other since June 5 when Virginia was admitted to the hospital. The Edwards family believe Virginia contracted COVID-19 when she was out of town recently. Virginia was still asymptomatic when she returned home. By the time she began showing symptoms, Ollie had contracted the virus. He joined her as a patient at EAMC on June 14.

The Edwards both grew up in West Point, Mississippi, and they married less than one month after Virginia graduated high school. Ollie was already a lieutenant in the Air Force and their “honeymoon” consisted of a drive to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Ollie was stationed at the Air Force Base just outside of town. On the way, they stopped at a burger joint for a wedding night dinner of hamburgers and milkshakes. From there, the Edwards were on their way to a successful life together.

Ollie earned two degrees from Auburn University: a bachelor’s degree in math and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. His military career spanned 24 years and included wartime flights over Vietnam while he was based in Thailand. Upon returning to the United States after the Vietnam War, the majority of his military years were spent at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

While there, Virginia earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Wright State University. Ollie and Virginia were also busy with their three children—two daughters and a son. Ollie rose through the ranks during that time and retired in 1977 as Colonel Ollie Edwards. At that point, the Edwards family moved back to their beloved Auburn.

Upon returning, the Edwards immersed themselves in the community and the university. Colonel Ollie flew a private jet for Auburn University for a while, then taught aviation management courses and served as an instructor pilot for the Aviation Management Department at the university, retiring in 1994. Virginia earned her master’s in education degree at Auburn. She taught English at Notasulga High School for many years before retiring in 1996.

The Edwards both have COVID-19, but they also have 65 years of resiliency at their back. They’ve seen a lot over six-plus decades. The COVID-19 pandemic tried to keep them apart today, but it failed. It only crashed their party and brought them closer.