ByBlair Caldwell|March 31, 2020 at 5:03 PM EDT - Updated March 31 at 5:03 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Arnold and Lorlee Tenenbaum died just five days apart from each other. The first COVID-19 victims in Chatham County.
Ann Tenenbaum and her family are heartbroken at the loss of their parents. She hopes this community will remember their zest for life, love of art, and giving spirits.
Arnold Tenenbaum was a distinguished businessman, serving as the president of Chatham Steel. He passed away on March 24.
Just five days later, his wife Lorlee also passed away.
They loved to travel and had been before becoming ill. Ann says her parents had pre-existing conditions, but did test positive for COVID-19. She and two of her sisters live in New York and have known how dangerous the virus was, but never imagined they’d be in this position.
“It is a little surreal to realize that your actually part of a statistic," Ann said. "But we’ve all you know we’ve always taken it seriously having been indoctrinated in New York City you know where things were closing down a lot faster then they were in other parts of the country and it’s bizarre to be a part of it, I have to say, not just on the periphery.”
Ann says it’s been difficult to not only cope with the loss of both their parents, but also not being able to come together as a family in this difficult time. They are waiting to do a service to honor her parent’s life until they can all be together.
Ann Tenenbaum encourages people to work to protect themselves, but she also urges people to be like her parents and remember to continue being compassionate.
Photo: Family