Grandparents were found hugging after being killed in the Hurricane Helene disaster

A South Carolina couple killed by a tree that fell on their bedroom during Hurricane Helene were found hugging each other, according to their grandson.

Marcia, 74, and Jerry Savage, 78, were lying in bed in their Beech Island home when the tree fell on their bedroom, their grandson John Savage told the Associated Press. “All you could see was the ceiling and the tree,” said the 22-year-old, who was on the property at the time. “At that point I was in pure panic.”

Savage told the news outlet that his grandparents were found hugging each other in bed. He said his family believes God brought them together rather than allowing one of them to live without the other.

“When they pulled her out of there, my grandfather apparently heard the tree break beforehand and turned to protect my grandmother,” he said.

The couple had been married for more than 50 years and were teenage sweethearts. “They loved each other until they died,” Savage said.

Announcements on the Second Baptist Church of Beech Island Facebook page indicate that Jerry and Marcia Savage died last weekend and that their memorial service will be held Saturday. Users who replied to the posts said they were “heartbroken” and “devastated” and remembered the couple as “such a sweet couple.”

A GoFundMe set up to cover funeral costs noted that they were “covered too soon” during the hurricane. “Jerry and Marcia were two of the kindest and most generous people I have ever known,” wrote page creator Brittany Estep. She said they were her husband's grandparents and left behind two children, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

More than 180 people died as the storm raged across the Southeast, bringing fierce winds and catastrophic flooding to the Carolinas and other states. President Joe Biden on Wednesday authorized the deployment of 1,000 active-duty troops to support relief efforts in communities devastated by the hurricane.