A Nebraska groom died Monday, reportedly only an hour after exchanging wedding vows with his bride in Omaha, according to a local news report.
Johnnie Mae and Toraze Davis were taking photographs after the wedding ceremony when Toraze died, KETV News reported. Toraze, 48, suffered a fatal blood clot, according to the news report. “His heart stopped for the first time at 4:35, just an hour after the ceremony had begun,” Jewel Roberson, Johnnie Mae’s friend, said, per the report.
The wedding day was significant for the couple as it was Juneteenth and also Johnnie Mae’s grandmother’s birthday, the report said. Johnnie Mae reportedly had recently lost her father, so friends hoped the wedding would bring some comfort. (RELATED: Two Brothers Convicted For Beating Groom To Death During His Wedding In California)
What was supposed to be a celebration of a lifetime turned into a loss.
A groom in Nebraska died an hour after his wedding ceremony began, friends of the bride say. https://t.co/Vdus0X1Y1K
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 24, 2023
Monica Miller, another friend of Johnnie Mae’s and a colleague at ECO Supportive Living — a social services provider for the elderly and disabled where Johnnie Mae works as a director — started a GoFundMe campaign for Toraze’s funeral and the support of Johnnie Mae and her children. ‘Those of you that know Johnnie Mae know how beautiful she is inside & out. As you know, Johnnie Mae always helps others; this is our time to help her,” the campaign read in part.
The campaign has raised $20,480 as of the time of this report, with a donor, “Grace & Mercy Deliverance Ministry” listed as the top donor with $1000. Another donor, “Florian Brandt,” wrote, “I read it in our German newspaper and I was shocked about it. For the kids & his wife all the best and luck as much as possible. Heartful greetings from Germany.”