Cindy and Ruben Trejo, 47 and 51, Inglewood

When Cindy Trejo was in her early 20s, working as a receptionist at a Los Angeles hospital, she spotted a man coming out of the elevator wearing strange clothing. It was her first day on the job, and she thought he was a psychiatric patient escaping, so she called security. As it turned out, the man wasn’t a patient. He was the brother of another young man, who worked at the hospital, Ruben Trejo.

Ruben appeared in the lobby and teased the new employee. He never stopped giving Cindy a hard time about that day in 1996.

Through teases and jokes, a romance blossomed. The couple married months later, according to their daughter, Brianna Trejo, 22. “They were big goofballs,” she said. In January, Cindy, 47, and Ruben, 51, of Inglewood, died from COVID-19 in separate hospitals hours apart. Cindy and Ruben Trejo were essential workers, working at different hospitals, Cindy in administration and Ruben with mental health patients.

“Their love story was crazy,” Brianna said. “It was like they couldn’t last without each other.”

Cindy, her daughter said, was bubbly and outgoing. She was obsessed with all things Mickey Mouse, and when family members saw anything Mickey-themed while out and about, they’d buy it thinking of her. Her father was a jokester, Brianna said. He would often prank or tease Cindy. He loved to barbecue. And Cindy was his sous chef, Brianna said. They loved sports and had lively rivalries, especially when USC and UCLA football games were on. Cindy would don a USC jersey while Ruben wore UCLA colors. Brianna said she wasn’t sure why, but her mom was born at the UCLA hospital and her father at USC’s.

“It was just fun,” Brianna said. “Even during the holidays, we made it very special. It could be St. Patrick’s Day with green cupcakes. On Valentine’s Day, my mom would be getting ready for work and give us a card and piece of candy [with the note] ‘Thank you for being my Valentine.’ She made every little holiday special.”

Brianna said she and her parents all started feeling sick the first week of January. After Jan. 4, Cindy had difficulty breathing and had to be hospitalized at Little Company of Mary in Torrance. “The last thing she told me was ‘Be good,’ and we waved goodbye,” Brianna said. Ruben drove himself to Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood on Jan. 6. “I was thinking, ‘OK, he’s just going to come home,’ ” Brianna said. “It didn’t happen that way.”

On the night of Jan. 7, Brianna was also hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms just f loors below her father at the Inglewood hospital. Her father had no idea she was there, she said. On Jan. 12, Ruben died. The next afternoon, Cindy died. “I was just like, ‘No, this can’t be happening. This isn’t real,’ ” Brianna said. Now Brianna says she takes comfort in knowing her parents are together. Brianna said that although she knew her parents loved each other, she now realizes the true strength of their love.

“Now that they’re not here and I can see their love through the eyes of my family, it’s like, ‘Whoa, they really did love each other.’ It’s like, ‘OK, I want that.’ ”

In addition to Brianna, Cindy is survived by her brother and parents. Ruben is survived by seven siblings.