Tens of thousands of residents had to quickly leave their homes when the swiftly spreading Eaton Fire broke out on Tuesday. Within hours of their husband’s death, one of those individuals had to leave behind their husband of over 60 years.
“I didn’t have time to get everything,” Barbara Fetter, 87, told reporters. “They said, ‘You have to go right now.'”
She was one of several residents at the Royal Oaks Senior Living Community who were forced to evacuate abruptly on Wednesday as the fire changed its direction and threatened to destroy the property and their lives.
Fetter was compelled to leave something far more significant behind, while other inhabitants were hurried to the point that they were unable to collect clothing, pictures, or other keepsakes.
Her 64-year-old husband, Merle Fetter, passed away in the hospice care of the living facility just two hours prior to the evacuation orders.
“I held his hand for four or five hours,” she remembered.
Workers at the living center were unable to remove his body, so she was escorted out, leaving her wondering what would happen next.
When the tragedy occurred, her daughter Joy was thousands of miles away.
“I didn’t know where my mother was, I didn’t know what happened to my father’s body,” she stated.
She was also left with doubts until she touched down in Southern California, as she was unable to board a plane until Friday. At that point, her mother called to reassure her that she was fine and to arrange for the coroner’s office to take her father’s remains.
Following two life-altering events on the same day, Royal Oaks staff members said they will make every effort to accommodate Fetter.
“We’re there to partner with the family, give them what they need,” Jeremiah Hovesepian, executive director of Royal Oaks, stated.
The Fetter family, who have lived in New England, New York, and Papa New Guinea, where Merle served as a missionary for decades, will now go to Southern California, just as he and his wife did thirty years ago. Despite having little time to grieve and having to organize a funeral this time, Barbara is managing to have a cheerful attitude and live day by day.
“We loved each other a lot.”