A pastor in Tanner is speaking out after losing not one but three of his church’s members to the novel coronavirus.

Pastor Jason Greene of Tanner United Methodist Church said the pandemic became “very, very real” as members learned two women had died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, with one woman’s husband considered a “probable” death from the disease.

“They had deep, deep roots in that community, and I think their deaths … I think it just took the community and church by surprise,” Greene said.

The married couple passed within days of each other, after the wife tested positive for COVID-19 but before the husband did, he said. The third member was diagnosed a short time before her death and lived at a local long-term health facility, but other churchgoers stayed in touch with the woman and her family.

Greene said he spoke with the woman’s daughter after her death. Due to health restrictions, the woman’s children had to dress in full personal protective gear and agree to quarantine for two weeks after the visit just so they could see their mother one last time before she died.

“The daughter said to see the suffering was unfathomable, because she’d never experienced that in her life,” Greene said. “She knew her mom was suffering, in pain, and she knew it wouldn’t be an easy death. I think she felt a sense of relief mixed with deep sadness when her mom passed.”

He said news of the three has “had a strong impact on the community and in the church.” They had discussed resuming weekly indoor services, but after the spike in cases and the latest news within the church, Greene said Tanner UMC will continue with drive-in and virtual services instead.

“It’s just too dangerous,” Greene said. “The numbers are going up, and it’s hitting close to home. Now we all know people who have died from this.”

As of Tuesday, there had been a total four confirmed deaths and one probable death in Limestone County, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. ADPH also reported a new cumulative confirmed case total of 691 in Limestone County since March, with 190 of those cases reported in the last eight days.

“I want life to be as normal as anybody, I don’t enjoy this, but I don’t think people took this very seriously, and now that we have begun to reopen and people are going to the beach and traveling, we’re seeing a spike,” Greene said. “This is real. It’s not make-believe. There’s no way this could be the hoax some think it is.”

Two other members in the church — a Huntsville police officer and a health care worker, each in their 20s — have also been diagnosed, according to Greene. They were due to be married this summer but have had to postpone their wedding, among other things, because of the virus and pandemic.

“I love them almost like younger siblings, and it just — it’s very painful,” Greene said. “It’s painful for everybody there in the church, because everyone has some deep bond or love or emotional attachment to all of these people.

“On Thursday morning, a family is going to bury their grandmother and grandfather, together. It’s going to be very lonely, it’s going to be a sad service, and a lifetime of friends that made memories won’t be able to be there. That’s horrible.”

On social media, Greene encouraged everyone to be part of the solution and to be careful during the pandemic.

“There’s no sadness like losing a loved one to a horrible disease like COVID-19,” he wrote. “… This is real … and it is deadly.”