Fourth-grade teacher Irma Garcia was one of two faculty members killed on Tuesday during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
Just two days later, on Thursday morning, her husband and high school sweetheart Joe, died from what family members described as a medical emergency.
The pair left behind four children, two boys and two girls, after Joe allegedly fell over due to a heart attack after finding out about the loss of his wife. The kids were aged 23, 19, 15 and 13.
Irma’s cousin Debra Austin wrote on a GoFundMe page that ‘losing the life of his life of more than 25 years was too much to bear. These two will make anyone feel loved no matter what.’
Nephew John Martinez told The New York Times that Joe was 50 years old and had just got home from leaving flowers at his wife’s memorial when he ‘pretty much just fell over.’
Dying from grief, also known as broken heart syndrome, is caused by a surge of stress hormones and is usually caused by an emotionally stressful event. The death of a loved one, according to the American Heart Association, is a common reason for the stress-induced cardiomyopathy.
As for Irma herself, students who survived the shooting described her as a hero, having sacrificed herself to protect the kids in her classroom.
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