Detroit couple with 7 children died within hours of each other from COVID-19 complications

This obituary is part of “We Will Remember,” a series about those we’ve lost to the coronavirus.

Troy and Charletta Green accidentally became friends and then were high school sweethearts before getting married and having a family that included seven children. The couple, married for 22 years, died hours apart and more than 1,100 miles away from each other as a result of complications from COVID-19.

Charletta died at AdventHealth Celebration Hospital in Orlando, on Sept. 6, and Troy died early the next morning at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit.

Troy and Charletta, both 44, lived on the west side of Detroit.

The relationship started when Charletta dialed the wrong telephone number and Troy answered the phone, according to Troy’s sister Tiki Green.

“I don’t know what he said or how he sounded, but it caught her attention. They became friends from her calling the wrong house,” Tiki Green said. “They talked on the phone a whole year before meeting in person.”

Troy's mother, Katherine Jefferson, said that there were many times she would be waiting on a phone call only to pick up the phone and find that the two of them had fallen asleep while talking.

Charletta and her younger sister would often catch a bus to the Greens' house on the east side of Detroit, and she has been a part of the family ever since.

The couple had a close-knit family and their children's ages range from 10 to 23 years old. 

“We are one big family. We did everything together,” Troy's mother said.

After Jefferson moved to Florida seven years ago, Troy and Charletta’s home became the entertainment house where family gatherings took place.

The family had nacho nights and game nights that included lots of competitions, Tiki Green recalled.

They were active members of Mount Sion Baptist Church in Detroit where Troy, known as Mane to family, served as a deacon, and all the family members were known for their singing voices. Charletta was the lead singer.

Tiki Green noted that Charletta tried out for "American Idol" years ago when the show was holding auditions in metro Detroit. She won a spot, but didn’t pursue the opportunity.

The family planned a vacation to reset and get away after the loss of Charletta’s mother, who died from COVID-19. Troy started feeling sick a couple of days before the trip and didn’t feel like traveling. Charletta and her sister took the children to Florida on Aug. 13, and later that evening, she started feeling sick. Charletta became worse over the next couple of days. She experienced fatigue and had difficulty breathing.

EMS was called, and she was taken to the hospital. 

Meanwhile, Troy was alone at home in Detroit. Family members dropped off vitamins and food on his porch, but were unsure whether he had COVID-19, Tiki Green noted.

The couple's oldest daughter traveled back home with her younger siblings, while two other children stayed in Florida with Charletta.

When the oldest daughter arrived home, she noticed how bad her father was doing. He was experiencing fatigue, difficulty breathing and headaches, and he wasn’t eating.

He was taken to the hospital, and after being in the emergency room for two days, he was taken to the COVID-19 floor.

Troy and Charletta talked about getting vaccinated, according to Jefferson, who said, “When I spoke to my son in the hospital, I told him that when he got out, it was time to get it.”

The couple, who suffered from diabetes, had pneumonia, and both ended up on ventilators. The virus damaged Charletta’s lungs.

Troy finally got well enough to breathe on his own, but after finding out about his wife’s worsening condition, he started having chest pains. “He died from a heart attack,” Tiki Green said. 

“They were sweet people, and everybody liked to be around them.” 

A GoFundMe page that currently shows $26,768 in donations was started to raise funds for a double funeral and for expenses. However, it was disabled at the request of the children because of negative comments about their parents being unvaccinated.

A private funeral is planned at the end of the week.

"I talked to Troy every other day for two to three hours. He was my go-to person. … I’m going to truly miss both of them," Jefferson said. "I called Charletta my daughter, not just my daughter-in-law. ... I always called him my baby even though he was my second-born. He will always be my baby.”

If you have a family member or close friend who has died from COVID-19 and you would like to share their story, please visit our memorial wall and select “Share a story.”

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.