Ontario couple dies of coronavirus two days apart leaving three daughters behind

According to a family member, Nagarajah Thesingarajah, 61, died in the hospital on April 15 only two days after his wife Pushparani Nagarajah died. She was 56.

The family said that the couple's three adult daughters also tested positive. They are ages 29, 22 and 19, and are currently remaining in isolation at their Brampton home.

“It's all three of them, knowing their parents are not going to go back home,” Nathan Kathirgamanathan, a nephew of the couple said. “They're going through so much pain and mentally they are really confused.”

Kathirgamanathan said that the couple had started feeling ill at the beginning of April and the family visited the hospital on April 3 to get tested. Thesingarajah was the only one who was told to stay at the hospital at the time and the others began self-isolation at home.

Nagarajah experienced breathing difficulties just a few days later and returned to the hospital. She died just two days before her husband, on April 13.

“It's sad that they had to go, but there's a reason why they went together,” said Kathirgamanathan. “Because ever since he's married, I think over 30 years, he took care of her.”

Thesingarajah worked at Gate Gourmet Canada—a division of GateGroup, which is an airline catering company.

Nancy Jewell, a spokesman for GateGroup said, “We are deeply saddened by the news and send our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.”

Thesingurajah worked as a part-time delivery man for Tamil Newspaper as well. Nagamany Logendralingam, the publisher and editor for the newspaper called him “very keen” and a “perfect gentleman.”

Kathirgamanathan said, “I just [want to] send an alert and awareness to those people around the area, especially those people who went to these Tamil stores, Sri Lankan stores and seniors' residences, to make sure to check themselves.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the family to support the three daughters. The page has raised just under $70,000 as of Thursday afternoon.