A groom in Nebraska tragically died from a blood clot an hour after getting married.
Toraze Davis reportedly died on Juneteenth and the birthday of his bride’s grandmother. He was 48 years old.
Johnnie Mae Davis had just recently lost her father not long before suffering the loss of her newlywed husband shortly after their wedding.
“It was the happiest day of Toraze’s life,” Jewel Robeson, a family friend who attended the wedding, said.
After the couple were wed in a ceremony Monday, they stepped outside to take photos.
But the celebration would quickly turn to chaos when Toraze Davis collapsed.
“His heart stopped just an hour after the ceremony had begun,” Robeson said.
Johnnie Mae Davis would be a bride and a widow within an hour.
“Toraze suffered from a medical event that was not survivable,” Robeson said.
Robeson said the groom had died from a blood clot within seconds with the couple’s children, their parents, family, and all their friends in attendance.
They are all now trying to help Johnnie Mae Davis cope with losing the love of her life.
“Johnny Mae has suffered through so much and she’s just such a loving person,” Robeson said.
Johnnie Mae Davis works as a director at ECO Support Living where she organizes events and helps the elderly and those with disabilities live a normal life.
Her friend and co-worker, Monica Miller, said she goes above and beyond daily as a caretaker for others.
“I just really want the community and all of us to just support her in the same way that she does on a daily basis,” Miller said.
Friends and family are now hoping Johnnie Mae’s community can help take care of her.
“She’s been widowed and married in a 10-minute span,” Robeson said. “She’s going to need lawn services. She’s going to need snow removal when the winter comes.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support the widow in her loss. A donation collection was also set up at ECO Supportive Living by employees to help surround their friend with love.
“We really want her to just rest and take care of her children and herself,” Miller said.
The couple’s friends also hope this serves as a reminder to others to take their health seriously and advocate for self-care if something feels off.
“Every second, minute you take life seriously,” Tona Ross, a nurse and friend of Johnnie Mae Davis, said. “Try to keep your health together so you can have more happy times and your life won’t get cut short like this.”
The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $7,000 of its $10,000 goal as of Thursday.