Couple Die Seven Months Apart Leaving Behind Four Children

Elaine and Scott Conley died only seven months apart, leaving behind four children. Now, their community of Topsfield, Massachusetts, wants to give the kids a brighter future.

"It's unfathomable ... and so horrific," Elaine's sister Diane Fucci, 58, tells TODAY.com .

Elaine, 52, died on October 26, 2024, more than a year after she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her death came approximately seven months after her husband Scott, 52, died of a heart attack on March 15, 2024.

Elaine, an occupational therapist and Scott, 52, a detective with the Chelsea Police Department, shared four children: Twins Aidan and Max, 19, Keira, 15, and Shea, 11.

According to Fucci, Elaine was the "fun and easy" sister who loved animals.

"She was the baby of five ... as a kid she had hamsters and mice," she says, adding that in childhood, "We could get Elaine to do anything we wanted — if as you timed her doing it."

Fucci adds, "Elaine was a cheerleader, a great dancer and she had a quick, and sometimes inappropriate, sense of humor which we loved. She was a really kind person and her kids were her world."

Scott, on the other hand, was an Army Ranger turned police detective with a "strong personality" who was "always up for adventure," says Fucci. "His big thing was taking the kids to Disney World."

Fucci tells TODAY.com that Elaine was diagnosed with leukemia on Oct. 8, 2023, which was her and Scott's 23rd wedding anniversary. "She hadn't felt good for a few months but she didn't know if it was menopause," says Fucci. One day, Elaine went to the hospital with heart pain and was diagnosed with a heart attack and later, leukemia.

Elaine started chemotherapy and doctors suggested a bone marrow transplant, as her best chance for a full recovery. Some of Elaine's siblings got tested to determine a compatible donor and Fucci was chosen.

Fucci jokes, "Elaine sent a message to me and our siblings saying, 'Winner, winner chicken dinner ... Diane is the winner."

Elaine was admitted to the hospital for the March 23 bone marrow transplant (taking place one day after her birthday), and was trying to contact Scott at home. He hadn't been feeling well and had been treated for heart issues, according to Fucci.

Worried, Elaine sent a neighbor to check on Scott. He had died in his sleep, the result of a heart attack.

The bone marrow transplant was rescheduled for May while Elaine and her children coped with the death of Scott. "There is no way their little minds could process it," says Fucci, adding, "It's just so horrific."

Fucci says Scott's colleagues at The Chelsea Police Department were "an enormous presence" at Scott's funeral. She also credits the Topsfield Police for participating in neighborhood escorts involving Elaine and Scott's children.

In the months after Elaine's bone marrow transplant, she was in and out of the hospital with complications. "She could not catch a break," says Fucci. "Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong for her. It was just horrible."

On October 21, during the last week of her life, Elaine's spirits were high, says Fucci, adding, "She was so happy to be home and we sat at the table and she did homework with Shea." One night, Fucci heard Elaine call for her. "She said, 'I'm sick, I've been vomiting and ... have a headache ... I just don't feel good."

Fucci called 911 and in the ambulance, Elaine went unresponsive. A CT scan concluded that Elaine had a brain bleed. She died in the hospital approximately 12 hours later.

"After all this fight, that's what got her," says Fucci, adding, "It was shocking — it's still not real to any of us."

Fucci says, "Elaine fought so hard for a year to be here for her kids and with the death of Scott — you really can't wrap your mind around it."

Fucci says the family's "unbelievable" community is supporting the children as they grieve.

"Halloween was always a really big deal to Scott — he did all the pumpkins and was known for buying the big candy bars from Costco," says Fucci. "One of Elaine's friends organized a pumpkin-carving contest. There were probably 50 pumpkins ... with tea lights," lining Scott and Elaine's home.

"I was bawling my eyes out," says Fucci. She says friends of Elaine and Scott's children also delivered gifts like stuffed animals, a scrapbook full of sweet notes, skincare products, candy and gift cards.

Elaine's wake and funeral was packed with children, says Fucci. "I have never seen such an outpouring of love."

Fucci and her husband, who share two adult children, have custody of Elaine and Scott's minor children, for whom people donated more than $309,000 via GoFundMe. Fucci says her family plans to move from Lexington to Topsfield so her nieces and nephews can continue attending their schools.

"With all this loss, I couldn't have them take one more thing," says Fucci, adding, "They're strong and resilient kids but it's just too much for them."

Fucci says that Elaine and Scott's kids are her "first priority."

"We tell them that what they're seeing is an outpouring of love ... it's a reflection of who they are — and who their parents were."