PORTLAND, Ore. — "You hear about it all the time, but you never expect it to happen to your family." said Amy Senske, remembering the final days of her husband Tim's life.
Tim Senske, a 43-year-old commercial plumber from Keizer, tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 31. Amy said he was having flu-like symptoms that week and went to the hospital.
"All of a sudden he had two different kinds of pneumonia," she said.
The two would text and video chat daily. Amy said her final conversation with her husband was about their favorite TV show, The Walking Dead.
"He was laughing at me because I was crying over a silly TV show and that was our last conversation. If I would've known that, I probably would've said something more meaningful than 'Walking Dead' episode."
The next day, Jan. 6, Tim was placed in a medically induced coma. Within days of going to the hospital, the virus had taken over.
"In the course of a week, he had kidney failure, and then he had lung failure and then a few days before he passed, he all of a sudden had heart failure."
On Jan. 25, Amy's phone rang. It was Tim's doctor.
"The doctor called and said he's not going to make it through the day. You need to gather your family and come say your goodbyes. I didn't even know what to say to that," Amy said.
At 6:58 that night, Tim passed away.
When Tim and Amy married over six years ago, they blended their two families together. His daughter Summer is now 16.
"That's his world. That's his heart. That girl means everything to him." Amy said about Tim's love for his daughter.
She said he was always present in her son Gage's life, now 18.
"He treated my son like his own son. He was his mentor, his role model."
When friends message Amy to offer condolences, she says their reaction is often one of disbelief. She says she doesn't understand how it happened either, adding that Tim was always active and loved playing sports.
"He's only 43 and he's active 43. He was a commercial plumber that could carry 10-inch ductal pipe on his shoulder, and he loved to golf, go kayaking and being outside and camping."
Amy started a GoFundMe account to help pay for medical bills, but says the money will also help start a trust fund for Tim's daughter Summer.