Tragedy after elderly Mississippi couple BOTH fell in their garden during blistering heatwave that left them unable to get back up

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:29, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 15:58, 1 July 2026 A Mississippi family is left grieving after the blistering heat caused an elderly couple to collapse in their garden, leaving a loving wife and mother to die in the dangerous temperatures.  Martha 'Irene' Van Egmond, 83, was in her garden on Saturday when she fell in a flowerbed and passed away from hours of intense heat exposure, as her grieving husband desperately tried to help her up. 'It gets hot out there, and if you don't have a way to get up, it can happen quick,' Irene's husband, Rick Van Egmond, told WJTV.  'We were out there about three hours, and she was ready to go to church Sunday. I'm going to miss her tremendously, but the Lord's going to take care of me.' The couple were spending time outside in their garden when Irene fell and Rick, 79, tried to help her get back up, but also fell.  Both were unable to get back up off the ground, as help took several hours to reach them.  'Two kind men from the apartments behind us finally heard me call and came to assist but it was too late,' Rick wrote on social media.   As they lay on the ground, Irene passed away. 'She died in one of her happy places, a flowerbed,' he added.  Martha 'Irene' Van Egmond, 83, was in her garden on Saturday when she fell in a flowerbed and passed away from hours of intense heat exposure, as her grieving husband desperately tried to help her up The couple were spending time outside in their garden when Irene fell and Rick, 79, tried to help her get back up, but also fell The couple were unable to get back up off the floor, as help took three hours to reach them after two men in the building behind them heard Rick's calls for help According to Hinds Coroner Jeramiah Howard, she is believed to have died from heat exposure, WJTV reported.  Over the weekend, Mississippi saw dangerous temperatures hitting 'feels-like' highs of over 100 degrees, as temperatures reached over 90 degrees and humidity levels sat at near 90 percent, according to local weather reports.  'She was such a wonderful, wonderful, dear person,' her husband said.  The pair shared seven children together, and traveled across the 50 states attending toy shows, according to the outlet.  'I loved everything about her. We didn't - we never argued,' he added.  'We decided among us that there's nothing worth arguing about. It's not important. Just love one another, love the Lord and take care of one another. And she was perfect in that way. She loved me. She took care of me.' Rick told WJTV that he wanted his wife to be remembered for her love for Jesus and that people 'saw Jesus in her every time they saw her.'  Irene was an active member in their community and loved antiques, her husband said.  A friend and fellow member of the church wrote on social media: 'Rick, the church will not be the same without Miss Irene. She was a very important part of helping with Carols by Candlelight - helping to feed the choir and orchestra between performances on Saturday.' The pair shared seven children together, and traveled across the 50 states attending toy shows Rick said that he wanted his wife to be remembered for her love for Jesus and that people 'saw Jesus in her every time they saw her' As they lay on the ground, Irene passed away. 'She died in one of her happy places, a flowerbed,' her husband said 'She is one of a kind. Precious soul. We share your loss and help carry your grief. Much love,' they added.  'We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our longtime customers,' Friends & Co Salon and Boutique wrote in tribute to Irene.  'Over the years, she became so much more than a customer - she became a dear friend, a kind soul, and a cherished part of our family. 'Her kindness, warm smile, and the conversations we shared will be missed more than words can express. We are truly grateful for the time we had with her and for the support she showed us through the years.' Irene's funeral is set for Thursday to 'celebrate the life of our wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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