She Became a Bride and a Widow Within an Hour

Johnnie Mae had suffered two recent losses, including that of her father, when she stood in front of friends and family and committed to the love of her life on Monday. But within the hour, her groom was dead, too. As Mae and new husband Toraze Davis of Omaha, Nebraska, left the church where they said "I do," Davis suffered a blood clot that made his heart stop. "It happened within seconds ... just an hour after the ceremony had begun," friend Jewel Roberson tells KETV. Family and friends are now rallying behind Mae, director of ECO Supportive Living, which assists the elderly and those with disabilities. "Johnnie Mae has suffered through so much," says Roberson. Now "she's been widowed and married in a 10-minute span."

"It's seriously the saddest thing ever," Tricia Pugsley tells the State. She was supposed to DJ the couple's wedding reception, but "they went to the hospital instead." That's where Mae "had to say goodbye to her new husband." A GoFundMe page has raised more than $10,000 for Mae and the children the couple shared. Mae "always helps others; this is our time to help her," the page reads. Some are finding solace in knowing that 48-year-old Davis died on what was evidently "the happiest day of his life," a friend tells KETV. Another friend says she hopes the tragedy will teach others to care for themselves, including through annual visits to the doctor. "Not all medical emergencies are preventable. However, some may be," says nurse Tonja Ross. (More Nebraska stories.)