The parents of a nurse who contracted a fatal coronavirus infection also died with Covid-19 only weeks later.
Keith Dunnington, 54, who had worked as nurse for more than 30 years, died at his parents’ home in South Shields on 19 April. He worked as an agency nurse and most recently on the frontline of ward 12 at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Gateshead.
His parents Lillian and Maurice Dunnington also fell ill with the virus. Lillian, 81, died on 1 May, reportedly holding hands with Maurice in her final moments, after staff at South Tyneside hospital had brought him to her bedside from his ward. Maurice died at the same hospital over the weekend.
The UK now has the highest death toll in Europe from Covid-19, at more than 32,000, but certain communities and families have borne the brunt. Dunnington is one of 150 NHS and private health care workers to die after contracting coronavirus.
In a message sent to staff at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Yvonne Ormston, chief executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation trust, said: “Keith was a popular and hard-working member of our fantastic nursing team. He will be very missed by his co-workers here at the trust and by the patients he cared for.
“Keith most recently worked on ward 12, where his colleagues remember him very fondly. He was known for always having a positive outlook which others found really encouraging and for taking time to check in with colleagues.”
Dunnington was known for placing particular importance on his colleagues having dinner on a Sunday and often arranged food for everyone. Outside of work, he volunteered at soup kitchens and “spent time with his family, who he spoke so highly about,” Ormston added.
One colleague posted on Facebook that Dunnington’s funeral had been due to be held on Monday 4 May and called on staff at South Tyneside to gather at the hospital’s John Reid Road entrance from 10am to pay respects as the hearse passed. However, Dunnington’s funeral had to be postponed when his parents fell ill and died.
Living Waters church, based in South Shields, announced the family would now be laid to rest together on 16 May. Lilian was Living Waters’ longest serving member and, alongside her husband, supported the church over many years. “They loved Jesus. We all loved them and will miss them every day,” the church said in a statement.
“I’m still in disbelief, Keith’s children are absolutely devastated and then to lose their nanny and granddad as well. Keith gave 200% to everything he did,” his cousin Debbie Harvey told the BBC. “He looked after people so well and stood up for them. My children are also absolutely heartbroken.”
She said Lilian was the “strongest woman I’ve ever known” and described Maurice, a well-known bus driver in South Shields, as a “larger than life character” who was also a devoted supporter of the British Legion.
Tributes poured in from friends, colleagues, and neighbours after news of the family’s tragedy was announced. Adrienne Arthur said: “This is the stuff of nightmares, three members of the same family – heartbreaking.”
