US3 min(s) read
Published 15:19 08 Apr 2022 GMT
A 69-year-old woman who became stranded alongside her late husband has revealed how his advice ultimately led to her survival.
As reported by PEOPLE, Beverly Barker and her 72-year-old husband Ron disappeared last month after venturing out in their RV to explore the Nevada landscape.
However, after following a series of "bad GPS directions", the couple became lost in the Nevada mountains on March 27.
Speaking alongside her nephew Travis Peters - who works as an editor for WTHR 13 - Beverly revealed that the couple decided to ditch their RV and try to find help in the SUV they had been towing.
Peters said that his aunt and uncle did not think about bringing food or water with them, as they were planning to just follow the same route they had taken. However, just two miles away from their RV, the couple's SUV became stuck in the remote region of Silver Peak.
At this point, Ron started to tap out the 'SOS' call on the car horn.
"This is so my uncle Ronnie," Peters said of his late uncle. "He started tapping SOS on the horn every ten minutes."
The couple's nephew spoke out about how his aunt and uncle were forced to battle the cold temperatures, as well as hunger and dehydration.
They would cuddle in the back of the vehicle for warmth, and Beverly - who usually requires a walker or wheelchair - walked with sacks in order to collect snow for the two to drink.
Peters revealed: "As the days and the nights passed, my Uncle Ronnie told her he was dying. And she said, 'I know.' They knew it was dehydration."
Ronnie passed away on April 4 - 26 hours before rescues teams arrived - Peters revealed on a GoFundMe.
Fortunately, Beverly continued to sound out a call for help on the car horn, as Peters said: "She remembered the SOS that Uncle Ronnie taught her. Beeping that horn is what brought rescuers to her."
Thankfully, Beverly remembering her husband's advice is what ultimately saved her life.
When rescue crews arrived, she was airlifted to a Reno hospital.
Peters' GoFundMe is now attempting to raise $25,000 to help with the costs of bringing his uncle's body "back home to his final resting place in Indiana."
As of this writing, $11,982 had been raised of the $25,000 goal.
In a statement to WTHR 13, the family also paid tribute to Ron, saying: "Ronnie Barker loved his family and loved his country. He served our nation proud over his 26-year career in the United States Air Force."
"It's our hope that Ronnie Barker's legacy will be changing policy that will allow for a more expeditious approach to locating missing persons of all ages for both non-residents and residents of the state of Nevada. We call upon the citizens of Nevada to stand up and demand that changes be made at ALL levels of Public Safety to avoid the hurdles that our family faced as we attempted to bring resources into the search of our loved ones," the statement added.
Our thoughts are with Barker's family and friends at this time.
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