DETROIT It was extremely unusual for Robert Beaupre to feel unwell.

He was 67, but he took no medicines and didnt have any chronic health problems, except for a little arthritis in his fingers that he noticed when he played classical guitar, one of his many passions. He was healthy and active.

So Beau, as most of his friends called him, dismissed the slight fever he developed on March 14.

He was just kind of annoyed to get sick, said Linda, his wife of 35 years. Their daughter-in-law, 34, was about to have surgery in Arizona for an aggressive type of colon cancer, and Linda was planning to fly there to help with the grandkids.

When Beaupre woke up the next morning, he told his wife he felt terrible and was going to the emergency room.

His choice to drive there alone underscored that he didnt consider it serious. He assured his wife, Im fine. I just have a fever. Its no big deal, she recalled.

Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, a large community hospital four miles from their home, in Rochester Hills, an upscale suburb north of Detroit, quickly saw Beaupre, and a chest X-ray found his lungs were clear. He was sent home with instructions to quarantine himself.