Patty Schlafer flew in late Thursday from Wisconsin, and her sister, Kathy Coughlin, flew up from Atlanta the same night, for a trip of a lifetime that had been a year in the works.

Along with Mrs. Coughlin’s daughter, Beth Coughlin-Leonard, 32, who lives in Nashville, the women were meeting in New York City to celebrate Ms. Schlafer’s 60th birthday. They had hatched the plan last spring, and kicked around the idea of coming in February until Mrs. Coughlin — who last visited the city for the World’s Fair in 1965 — protested that it would be far too cold.

Pushing the weekend to mid-March didn’t seem like a big deal. They had a fantastic Broadway weekend lined up: “Wicked” on Friday, “Dear Evan Hansen” on Saturday, and on Sunday, for their big finale, “Hadestown.”

Then, as the sisters’ cab made its way from La Guardia Airport to their midtown hotel, the bad news arrived via their phones.