Alabama parents die 24 hours apart, leave 6 children behind - East Idaho News
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Alabama parents die 24 hours apart, leave 6 children behind

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MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – In the morning hours of April 22, the unimaginable happened. Toby Norsworthy’s wife of roughly a decade, Jennifer, died from a blood clot. She was 40-years-old.

“Toby loved Jennifer,” Ricky Self told WHNT News. “She was his world and so he was of course heartbroken when she passed away.”

Self serves as the associate pastor at Pineview Baptist Church in Harvest, where both Toby and Jennifer were active members.

In the hours to follow, Ricky and the church helped the family begin to cope with their grief.

Toby and Jennifer had three children together: Mickey, 11, Aurora, 9, and Lainie, 6. Jennifer also had three children from before her marriage to Toby: Quinten, 20, Riley, 17, and Bradley, 13.

Then, that Sunday morning, roughly 48 hours after Jennifer’s passing, Self received a message while on his way to church saying that there was an ambulance in the driveway of the Norsworthy’s home in Harvest.

“I just decided to drive over there and that’s when Toby passed away of a heart attack in his sleep,” Self said.

Toby was 38-years-old.

“It was a very tough, tough day,” Self said.

Now, the congregation and the community are rallying around the six children.

“They were devastated and they’re doing okay and we’re praying for them,” he said.

Pineview Baptist Church is accepting donations for the family, with 100 percent of the funds going to the children. Family friends have also set up a fundraising page for the children.

“Trying to raise as much money as we possibly can for them for unexpected things that may come up, like college,” Self said. “They were such a big part of our life and part of our family and so we feel like it’s our job to help in any way we possibly can financially, spiritually, whatever that may be.”

The grieving may never fully end for this family, but there is an endless supply of love and prayer for them.

“Right now, it’s painful and it hurts,” Self said, “but one day we will be able to see them again and that’s what we’re hanging our hats on.”

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