A pastor gave a 91-year-old Connecticut man infected with COVID-19 his last rites — by phone — this week, a report said.
William Pike, of New Canaan, received last rites from Rev. Peter Walsh and final goodbyes from relatives by phone from his bed at Norwalk Hospital Wednesday as he succumbed to the virus, according to the Connecticut Post.
“I have done many creative pastoral things, but that was a first,” Walsh told the outlet.
Pike was one of two New Canaan residents to die from COVID-19 within 24 hours. Another victim, an unidentified man in his 80s, died Thursday, marking the third coronavirus fatality in the state, the outlet reports.
“He was a true gentleman,” Cathie Pike said of her husband, who started feeling ill in late February ahead of a trip to Florida.
He was later rushed to Norwalk Hospital by ambulance, relatives said.
Pike’s son, Daniel, and his wife had visited him on Sunday and Monday and believed he was improving since he was able to sit up and even watch some TV.
“We thought he had pneumonia and would be coming home,” Daniel Pike said.
But hospital staffers gave the family grim news on Tuesday: Pike had been diagnosed with coronavirus. His condition then took a dramatic turn Wednesday, prompting relatives to contact Walsh, who spoke to Pike thanks to a nurse who held the phone for him to listen, the Connecticut Post reports.
“I did last rites, then the family all had a moment to say they loved him,” Walsh said.
Some 15 minutes after the farewell, Pike passed away, his son said.
“Between my father going into the hospital and him passing away, the world changed,” Daniel Pike said.
Funeral services for Pike — who served as a lieutenant in the US Navy before a successful business career — will not be held due to the fears of spreading the virus and bans on large gatherings in Connecticut.
But Walsh said parishioners at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan will celebrate Pike’s life as an “incredible gentleman from the old school” once those measures are lifted.
“I think the only funerals possible now are very private funerals,” Walsh said.
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