Fort Worth dad, 40, dies after COVID illness as virus remains a leading cause of death
Every Saturday afternoon, Devra and Joe Woodfin would go out to lunch together.
The location changed. Sometimes they would get Vietnamese food, so Joe could get pho, his favorite dish.
The couple didn’t do a date night, Devra said. Instead, they had their Saturday lunches.
Usually, they talked about their future together, and their kids’ futures.
As time passed, the conversations changed. When Devra was pregnant, they talked about their children. Lately, they had talked about retirement, and buying some land. They talked about the next decade of their lives together — their 40s — and what it would hold.
But on Saturday, Devra and her children spent the afternoon at Joe’s funeral. Joe, 40, died Sept. 14, 11 days after he tested positive for COVID-19, Devra said.
Joe leaves behind his wife and their four children, who range in age from 6 to 16. A plumber by trade, Joe was constantly working, his wife said.
“He sacrificed so many things for himself,” Devra said. “I don’t even think he had a good pair of jeans, because the kids always come first.”
Woodfin is one of thousands of American parents and caregivers who have died after a COVID-19 infection. Researchers with Imperial College London estimate that more than 211,00 children in America have lost one or both parents to COVID-associated death throughout the pandemic.
At The WARM Place, a Fort Worth-based grief support nonprofit, at least 130 families have reached out for peer support after a COVID-related loss, according to the group’s executive director, Shelley Bettis.
More than two years into the pandemic, the rate of new COVID infections has slowed and hospitals aren’t as full as they were during previous surges of the virus. But COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in the U.S.
Throughout summer 2022, an average of 428 people died from COVID-19 each day, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Texas, an average of 22 people died daily between June 21 and Sept. 22, according to CDC data.
At this point in the pandemic, the strongest predictors for COVID-19 mortality are age and vaccination status, according to CDC data.
Close-knit family
Joe and Devra met on Devra’s 17th birthday, when they were set up on a double date. They were married on Leap Day in 2012.
Every anniversary and holiday, Woodfin would buy his wife a card, and carefully date the time of writing. Devra said she could go back for years and order all the cards.
The lifelong Fort Worth resident loved being a dad, his wife said. The family treasured movie nights at home, games of Yahtzee, going to soccer and baseball games together.
Her husband was constantly making her laugh, Devra said, and was always sharing fun facts “like a living Trivial Pursuit game.”
Once, Devra remembered, she said the word sassafras in passing.
“What even is a sassafras?” she asked aloud.
Joe had the answer: “I think that’s the tree they make root beer out of.”
His wife was skeptical, but when they looked it up they found Joe was right: The sassafras tree was used decades ago to flavor root beer.
Illness spread quickly
Joe died at home after a brief illness, 11 days after he tested positive for COVID-19, his wife said. Devra said both she and her husband were sick for several days. Woodfin had no pre-existing health conditions, his wife said.
“It was something that he and I had never experienced sickness wise,” she said.
But after a few days, Joe was starting to get better. The family had a normal weekend, and Joe returned to work that Monday. By the end of the day, though, he was exhausted, Devra said. He slept most of the day on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, he got up to see his kids get on the school bus.
A few hours later, he started missing calls. Devra found him at home later that evening.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner has yet to determine an official cause of death.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
