PORTLAND, Ore — Carmen Carroll and Gwen Sorensen were two women from two different worlds.
Carmen was half Native American and grew up on a reservation in North Dakota until she went off to college. Gwen was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas and attended the University of Kansas.
Yet they shared much in common: education, values, family and faith. They both lived long, rich lives.
Carmen and Gwen were both fiercely independent. After their husbands died they lived on their own for years.
Carmen had a Masters in Nursing from the University of Portland and family describes her as the epitome of a nurse - a nurturer.
"She was just super involved, kind, she just was just this beautiful soul," Carmen's daughter, Amber, said. "She was just such an amazing mom and an amazing grandma."
Gwen's family describes her as extremely kind, appreciative and social.
"She would talk to anybody," Gwen's son, Gordon, said. "Next to her family her highest priority in her life was her church. She played the piano and organ and sang in the choir for decades, even up until her 90s."
Their different worlds united when Carmen's daughter, Amber, and Gwen's son, Gordon, fell in love.
The families celebrated every holiday together, even after the dads passed away, and the women grew close.
Carmen developed dementia later in life and one of Amber and Gordon's sons, Ryan and his fiancé, moved in with her for a few years.
"That was quite a journey," Ryan said. "It was a really good experience for me to, you know, kind of be able to pay them back."
When she needed more care the family moved Carmen to Morning Star Memory Care & Assisted Living in Beaverton.
"Carmen was always super happy to see everybody. You'd walk by and say 'Hi' and she'd have the biggest smile and just go, 'Hello'," Morning Star Memory Care Administrator Sterling Banks told KGW.
Eventually, as Gwen got older and needed more care she also moved in to Morning Star.
"Gwen was just one of the most appreciative residents I've ever worked with," Banks said. "No matter what you did, every single time she wanted to stop and thank you over and over.
Gwen and Carmen shared adjoining rooms, but family doesn't think they even knew they were next-door neighbors at the facility.
Visits were different with the pandemic but the two were able to meet their first great grand-baby, Ryan's son Oliver, outside on the patio.
Then, the Sorensens say COVID hit the residents at Morning Star in July or August.
"And unfortunately neither of them stood a chance," Gordon added.
Both grandmothers tested positive for COVID-19 in August, along with several other residents. As soon as Gwen and Carmen caught the virus in the outbreak, the Sorensens knew their time would be cut short.
Carmen, at 89 years old, struggled to breathe. Gwen, at 97, didn't have many symptoms other than loss of appetite but, at her age, that was enough to weaken her body.
"You could feel the appreciation from both of them still. Carmen was still trying to be a sweetheart, even though you could tell she didn't feel too good, and Gwen, I felt a little worse because she could verbalize how she felt," Banks said.
The women could speak to family on the phone, although Gwen was more coherent than Carmen.
Amber and Gordon couldn't risk being with their moms in their final moments, as they're in their mid-60s and describe the situation inside the memory care facility as "virulent".
"The very hardest thing for both Gordon and I was not being able to be by their side and not being able to hold their hand," Amber said.
Within the span of a week, the Sorensens lost two of the most important women in their worlds. They found out Gwen passed away peacefully in her sleep as they were heading to Carmen's graveside service.
"The day we were burying Carmen, we found out that my mom had passed," Gordon said.
"It's just sort of haunting and I know we're not alone," Amber added.
"They both lived very long lives and very good lives. So I'm just thankful that they were part of mine," Ryan said.
Amber and Gordon find strength in facing the overwhelming loss of their mothers together.
"We both still wrestle with the sadness of their final days," Gordon said.
As COVID fatigue grows, the Sorensens want victims to be remembered as more than numbers. They share their personal struggles and memories of their moms in hopes of developing more empathy among those who lack it.
As of Wednesday, at least 1,924 Oregonians had died with COVID-19. Nineteen-percent (1,005) of cases in Oregonians over 80 resulted in death.
Throughout the pandemic, data shows the vast majority of deaths have been in Oregonians older than 70.
Many of Oregon's COVID deaths have been in congregate living settings, including long-term care facilities, group homes, prisons and shelters.
"They were human beings with a life, with a history, with people's memories of them," Amber said.
The Sorensen family reminds others to take this disease seriously by taking precautions against the virus - and to not take time with those you love for granted.
"Give them a hug and be patient with them. Tell them you love them, all of those things. Do it while you can, because there will be a time when you can't," Gordon said.