Fayetteville couple, 84 and 85, celebrates wedding anniversary after beating COVID-19

To celebrate safely, friends, neighbors and family, including five children and dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, honored the couple with a drive-thru-style party on Thursday in Fayetteville.

Arthur said battling coronavirus was difficult, but he never doubted he would get through it.

"It made me weak," he said. "I couldn’t eat, I had no appetite.”

Arthur was in the hospital from Oct. 17 to 20, and Josephine was in the hospital from Oct. 21 to 27. Two other family members were also sick but recovered.

“They wouldn’t let nobody come there to see me," Josephine said. "They just told me to keep calm.”

On Thanksgiving, the couple reflected on their early years. After only knowing each other for a short amount of time, the two were married in a courthouse.

“I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me, so he just came up to me and asked me do I want to get married, and I told him yes," Josephine said.

"She was looking good," Arthur added.

Their granddaughter, Delshari, she said her grandfather owns Brown's Garage on Hillsboro Street, and she believes he contacted COVID-19 from a customer there. After Arthur tested positive, Josephine decided to get tested too.

According to Delshari, neither of her grandparents were on a ventilator, but both experienced shortness of breath and lost of taste and smell.