Matagorda death, first case linked
Investigators are working backward to uncover ties
BAY CITY — Eddie F. Roberts spent decades burying Matagorda County residents, one of just a few morticians in the rural county in southeast Texas.
No more. The 97-year-old Bay City resident died Sunday, the first Texan to succumb to COVID-19, the disease that has swept across the globe, sickened tens of thousands, and brought the global economy to a virtual standstill.
In Bay City, where his mortuary has served local families for the past century, the news was a sharp reminder that no area — no matter how removed — is immune from the pandemic’s reach.
“This has hit home,” said Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald. “We’re socially distanced, we felt safe until that point.”
Authorities said the county in recent days confirmed two cases of coronavirus.
The first case emerged last week, after a 60-year-old woman tested positive for the illness. Then a 97-year-old man — later identified as Rob
erts by employees of his funeral home — went to the hospital for pneumonia-like symptoms, according to Aaron Fox, spokesman for the Matagorda Regional Medical Center.
Hospital staff didn’t initially test Roberts for coronavirus because of strict government protocols that required patients to show they had traveled or had contact with someone who traveled, Fox said. After that criteria loosened, the mortician was tested, Fox said. The results came back Monday, the day after he died.
It’s not clear who contracted the illness first, he said, adding that officials believe the two cases were linked and the result of “community spread.”
State epidemiologists are currently investigating everyone who had contact with Roberts or the 60-year-old woman, Fox said.
"They're going to start with what they know and work backwards,” he said. “Like any investigation."
As in other counties across the Lone Star State, restaurants and businesses across Matagorda County were closed or offering limited services Tuesday. The area, home to about 36,000 people according to the 2010 Census, is surrounded by rice fields and agriculture. Natural gas extraction facilities dot the county and two petrochemical plants and the South Texas nuclear power plant provide jobs for many across the region.
Bay City Mayor Robert Nelson said that while the region has robust plans for emergencies, the recent cases underscored the need to take the perils of the coronavirus seriously.
In the wake of the epidemic, the city had canceled numerous events, from its Easter celebration to regularly scheduled Rotary Club meetings to the city’s annual Boys and Girls Club fundraiser, he said.
"We should prepare, not panic, look at facts, not fear,” Nelson said. “And some people are at fear, other people are saying 'it’s a hoax.' When people are dying, it's not a hoax."
County and city officials said they had taken steps to protect residents, while also trying to figure out ways to provide the essential services of everyday government. At the county courthouse, staff had closed off all but one entrance to the building and nurses were taking temperatures of those who needed to stop by for business, McDonald said.
“We’re not going to stand by and let this decimate our county,” he said. “It’s important to take this seriously but we don’t panic.”
County officials were trying to balance the need to keep residents safe with avoiding fear or a crippling economic blow.
At the hospital, employees were now auditing protective equipment every day, said Warren Robicheaux, the hospital system's CEO. The hospital had seen an uptick in phone calls, but visits seemed to be holding steady, he said.
“We’re doing OK with the process,” he said. “It will be a good thing if we can maintain that.”
As at the county courthouse, hospital staff had closed most exits, setting up a triage area outside the emergency room to screen visitors before they entered the facility.
“We’re not turning anyone away, we just want to make sure they get to the right area for treatment,” he said.
Still, the realities of the situation were hitting home.
"Like anywhere else in rural Texas, a lot of people are putting their backs into the response," said Mike Reddell, editor of the Bay City Sentinel, one of the two newspapers that serve the city.
The speed with which the pandemic had hit this small southeast Texas county had still come as a surprise, he said.
"A week ago, they were planning (the pandemic response)," Reddell said. "You don't think of it actually striking. Now we're in the midst of it."
At Kate’s Coffee, Tea & More, owner Angela Joseph said she had reduced hours even before officials announced the two confirmed cases. After those notifications, she closed the café’s dining room and went strictly to delivery or takeout orders.
The café was empty, Tuesday, save for her, her daughter Kate, and a couple of other baristas. Customers approached the café’s locked doors, where employees took their order, then brought orders — from frappuccinos to iced lattes — outside minutes later.
“If it wasn't for the employees, I probably would have just closed until it was all over,” Joseph said. “But I know they need money, so we're just trying to make payroll.”
At the Duncan-Roberts Funeral Home, the doors were locked, adorned with violet ribbons.
Roberts had spent decades running the funeral parlor, which was established in 1920. An arsonist destroyed the building in 1992, but Roberts rebuilt on the same site, neighbors said.
The undertaker married Faye Roberts, a teacher with Bay City ISD. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in Florida in 2001, according to a story in the Victoria Advocate. Faye Roberts died in 2016 at the age of 88, according to her obituary.
Residents described the Roberts as a fixture of the community, a man who helped a lot of families, in their most challenging moments.
Now he was gone at a hard moment for the community that seemed protected from troubles sweeping more populous areas.
“This popped up on us overnight,” said Larry Fields, a neighbor. “They were saying it was nowhere on the coastline. Two days later, someone caught it. And then two days after that, someone died.”