Couple Dies Within 4 Minutes Of Each Other After Being Married For 71 Years

An elderly couple who had been married for 71 years passed away just minutes apart from each other.

91-year-old Vera Russell died in an England hospital only four mere minutes after her husband, 93-year-old Wilf, was pronounced dead in a healthcare facility a few miles away.

Wilf and Vera were an inseparable couple and had never spent a night apart since their nuptials.

Unfortunately, that all changed when Wilf began suffering from severe health issues, including being diagnosed with dementia, and was moved to a healthcare center to be cared for by nurses.

Stephanie Welch, the couple's granddaughter, believes Vera couldn't stand to live another minute without Wilf. She told Leicester Mercury,

I went to visit her at Leicester Royal Infirmary on the Sunday before and she opened her eyes and asked me where Wilf was. The last thing she said to me was, 'We're a right pair, aren't we?'

Apparently, Vera was extremely distraught over her husband's illness, so much so that her own health began to worsen.

Completely unaware of Wilf's passing, Vera died minutes after Wilf was pronounced dead.

"I think she was waiting for him to go," said Welch. "She was broken-hearted."

Wilf and Vera originally met during World War II when they were 18 and 16, respectively. He proposed to Vera before he was shipped off to Italy, and then to North Africa, as part of the Royal Air Force.

The two got married as soon as he arrived back home.

The couple had three beautiful sons — Peter, Colin and Gary — and were blessed with five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

According to Welch, the two were truly inseparable and treasured all of the family time they could get.

"Vera very much spoke for them as a couple, and Wilf went along with whatever she said," Welch said. "Maybe that's why they lasted so long!"

Even in death, it doesn't get much cuter than these two.

There are plans to hold a joint funeral for Vera and Wilf, so they can be reunited once again for their next journey.

Citations: Couple who were married for 71 years die within minutes of each other Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/03/couple-who-were-married-for-71-years-die-within-minutes-of-each-other-6549789/#ixzz4dDOkGXhX (Metro.co.uk), Loving couple Vera and Wilf die within four minutes of each other (Leicester Mercury)