Pastor, mom and sister die of COVID in Christmas week ‘tragedy,’ Indiana family says

An Indiana family with deep roots in their Christian church faced deep sorrow this month when their patriarch died of COVID-19.

Within four days — right as Christmas drew closer — the Applegate family was grieving the losses of two additional family members from the virus that has infected more than 19 million Americans and killed more than 335,000 as of Dec. 29.

Jim Applegate, the longtime pastor of Westview Christian Church in Campbellsburg, died after a two-week battle with the virus on Dec. 20, family said. Within 12 hours, his mother Pat Applegate died. Jim’s older sister, 59-year-old Marijane Crofford, followed on Dec. 24, according to family members.

“Heaven gained 3 beautiful people this week,” said Nicholas Applegate, Jim’s son who is also a youth minister at the church. “This week has been a tragedy for our family.”

Nicholas first shared the news of his father’s diagnosis Dec. 9 through the church’s Facebook page. At the time, he said his 54-year-father had a “bad cough and (was) fighting a fever.” The following day, he was in “pretty rough shape” and was taken to an emergency room by ambulance.

The church held a socially distanced prayer vigil in the parking lot Dec. 13 for the pastor and others in the community in critical condition.

Within a week, Jim’s adult children were saying their goodbyes.

“Yesterday I had to say goodbye on a FaceTime call to my dad, although he is not yet gone they said it would be a miracle from God if he made it,” Samantha Applegate wrote on Facebook Dec. 19. “It was a very hard day for my siblings and everyone involved. We are doing the best we can during this hard time.”

Another one of Jim’s children, Andrew Applegate, shared a cover he sang of Zac Brown Band’s “My Old Man” the day before his father died. Andrew later sung at the funeral, which was officiated by Nicholas.

Samantha called it “extremely heartbreaking” Dec. 21 when her grandmother died from the same virus as her father. After her aunt died a few days later, she said it was “absolutely unbelievable (and) unbearable.”

A joint funeral was held for the three family members. Though only a few dozen people could attend the service, it was streamed for thousands online.

Nicholas told WHAS his hope was to raise awareness of the virus.

“This virus is serious and there was a time when I didn’t think it was, and it is,” he said. “It is very serious and people need to take precautions and just be safe and you need to try to listen to what the doctors are saying and what the professionals are wanting us to do.”