Family Urges Social Distancing After Retired Vietnam Vet And Cook County Sheriff's Police Investigator Dies Of COVID-19

CHICAGO (CBS) -- COVID-19 has now killed a Cook County man who dedicated his life to law enforcement and the military. His family is left with heartache and a lot of questions. The biggest one is how he contracted the virus before passing last week.

When Sean Hill thinks of his father, a lot comes to mind.

"Born in Chicago, went to Englewood High School," he said. "He was a retired Cook County Sheriff's police investigator, a Vietnam Veteran."

But his favorite title was grandpa.

"Like any other person who's kind of in shock through this, I wish I had more time," Sean said.

Charley Hill was 78 when he died from COVID-19. It's fragile age range of those most susceptible to the virus. He lived in Homewood with his wife who looked after him as dementia set in.

Recently she noticed he wasn't moving as much and had trouble getting up. She got him to Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest.

"At that point, I don't think there was any suspicion it was coronavirus," Sean said.

They thought it was just back and knee pains until breathing issues started.

That's when he was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and put on a ventilator. There he got the COVID-19 diagnosis and found out he had pneumonia.

"The pneumonia led to some other issues and he had kidney failure," Sean said.

Charley died last Wednesday, and his family still wonders how he caught the virus, especially since he never left the house.

"People have been looking at his interaction with other people. There's question over if he got it at the hospital or the ambulance itself," Sean said. "I don't really get a lot of comfort running through those scenarios in my head."

But he does get relief in knowing others have a chance to save lives.

"What I sincerely hope is that people practice those things that minimize the amount of exposure that you have to the virus: Be careful of distancing. Be careful of the things you touch," he said. "This disease took him away from us earlier than we thought it would have been."