Couples Died Holding Hands. Married for 75 years.
Couples Died Holding Hands. Married for 75 years. An Illinois couple married for 69 years have died within an hour of each other, family members tell US media.
First Story ¦ Isaac Vatkin, 91, was holding the hand of his wife Teresa, 89, as she succumbed to Alzheimer's disease on Saturday, the Daily Herald reported.
Isaac died 40 minutes later. Family members said they took comfort in knowing they were together at the end.
"You didn't want to see them go," said grandson William Vatkin, "but you couldn't ask for anything more."
Their love for each other was so strong, they simply could not live without each other," said daughter Clara Gesklin at the couple's joint funeral.
"They were always in love, literally to the end. To the last second," said Rabbi Barry Schechter, who led the service at the Shalom Memorial Funeral Home in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.
Staff at the local Highland Park Hospital found Mr and Mrs Vatkin unresponsive and breathing shallowly on Saturday and chose to place their beds side by side.
Family members positioned their hands so they touched.
The couple raised three children in Skokie, Illinois, and had a close relationship with their grandchildren, family members said.
Mr Vatkin had been a kosher meat distributor and Mrs Vatkin a homemaker and manicurist.
Second Story ¦ A California couple, married for three-quarters of a century, took their "til death do us part" vow seriously, passing away in each other's arms last month.
Jeanette and Alexander Toczko were born in 1919, and met when they were just 8-years-old and fell in love immediately, their children told KGTV in San Diego.
First Story ¦ Isaac Vatkin, 91, was holding the hand of his wife Teresa, 89, as she succumbed to Alzheimer's disease on Saturday, the Daily Herald reported.
Isaac died 40 minutes later. Family members said they took comfort in knowing they were together at the end.
"You didn't want to see them go," said grandson William Vatkin, "but you couldn't ask for anything more."
Their love for each other was so strong, they simply could not live without each other," said daughter Clara Gesklin at the couple's joint funeral.
"They were always in love, literally to the end. To the last second," said Rabbi Barry Schechter, who led the service at the Shalom Memorial Funeral Home in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.
Staff at the local Highland Park Hospital found Mr and Mrs Vatkin unresponsive and breathing shallowly on Saturday and chose to place their beds side by side.
Family members positioned their hands so they touched.
The couple raised three children in Skokie, Illinois, and had a close relationship with their grandchildren, family members said.
Mr Vatkin had been a kosher meat distributor and Mrs Vatkin a homemaker and manicurist.
Second Story ¦ A California couple, married for three-quarters of a century, took their "til death do us part" vow seriously, passing away in each other's arms last month.
Jeanette and Alexander Toczko were born in 1919, and met when they were just 8-years-old and fell in love immediately, their children told KGTV in San Diego.
Transcript
00:00It is a love story for the ages. A local couple, together for decades, dies within hours of each other.
00:07They took their last breath holding hands. Tonight, Channel 2's Chip Brewster has the sweet story about these sweethearts who were devoted to each other until the very end.
00:17The main branches of the Leadbetter family tree are faith, family and happiness.
00:23But at the root of that tree is the love between Tom and Delma, a love which carried them together to the end.
00:28Mama was from Nebraska and Daddy was from Arkansas.
00:33Donita Nichols is talking about her parents, Delma and Tom Leadbetter. They met in their early 20s through mutual friends.
00:39He was stationed in Florida and my mother and her girlfriend had moved to Florida.
00:45Their first date of sorts happened when Tom had to just move his car.
00:48They drove around two or three different blocks or something. He came back and we parked and he said he reached over and he held her hand and he said,
00:56I don't know what made me do it. He said, I just reached over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
01:00Three weeks later, they were married. Two daughters soon followed, then grandkids and great-grandkids.
01:06It was a life filled with love and laughter. Then in April of this year, Delma fell ill and did not recover.
01:13They couldn't get a pulse. They couldn't get a blood pressure. They couldn't get anything. Yet Mama was just hanging on for something.
01:20A few days later, Tom too fell ill.
01:22So we got him over to the nursing home with Mama and they had pushed their little beds together and Mama was laying right there kind of facing him.
01:30She was asleep, you know, and Daddy got up and he reached over there and he just grabbed hold of her hand and he just laid there with her. It was so sweet.
01:40Not long after, Tom passed away. Delma followed, not even an hour and a half later.
01:45Their lives ended the same way their nearly 62-year relationship began, holding hands.
01:51I mean, it was exactly how they wanted to go. I mean, it couldn't have been any better.
01:57From hospice to funeral home to final resting place, Tom and Delma didn't leave each other's side.
02:03And now here at Restwood Memorial Park, they'll never have to.
02:06In the Lake Jackson area, Chip Brewster, KPRC, Channel 2 News.
02:10Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember.
02:23This next story is what Hollywood movies are made of.
02:27This San Diego couple was married for 75 years and they hated being apart from one another.
02:34So much so, they told their children they wanted to die in each other's arms.
02:38And that's exactly what just happened.
02:40Jeanette and Alexander Tuchka, married since 1940, died within 24 hours of one another.
02:47They fell in love. They were boyfriend and girlfriend when they were 8 years old.
02:53My dad carried around a picture of my mother and her Holy Communion outfit in his wallet.
02:58Jeanette and Alexander Tuchka's children say their parents lived a lifelong love affair.
03:04Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember.
03:10Married in 1940, they moved to San Diego in the early 70s.
03:14Mr. Tuchka found another love.
03:17He would be waiting in the chair in the living room with his putter.
03:20Okay, I'm ready.
03:22He played every day at Balboa Golf Course until recently.
03:25Last month...
03:26He must have fallen, broke his hip.
03:28His health took a turn for the worse.
03:30He's going fast.
03:31His children remember something their parents always used to say.
03:35They wanted to go in their own bed holding hands in each other's arms.
03:43So hospice brought a bed into their home and set it up right next to his beloved wife.
03:47She kept asking us, what is today? What is today?
03:50And we said it's June, and she said it's June 29th.
03:53And June 29th is their 75th wedding anniversary.
03:56The family went along with it, buying balloons and flowers to celebrate in bed.
04:01And we said, happy anniversary.
04:03And my mother was thrilled, thrilled to death, because it was their anniversary.
04:09And she knew that he was going and that they had made it to 75 years.
04:14When the family left...
04:15You could really see the change in his breathing.
04:17About 30 minutes passed.
04:19Even the hospice nurse said it was the most incredible thing
04:23to see the two of them taking those last breaths together.
04:27About 24 hours later...
04:29I knew she wasn't going to last too much longer.
04:31He died in her arms, which is exactly what he wanted.
04:36And when I went in there and I told my mother that he was gone,
04:39she hugged him and she said, see, this is what you wanted.
04:42You died in my arms, and I love you.
04:45I love you, and wait for me. I'll be there soon.
04:49It was tough.
04:51About 24 hours later...
04:53They both entered the pearly gates holding hands.
04:58Mr. Tachka was a World War II veteran.
05:00Both he and his wife were buried this morning at Miramar Cemetery.
05:05What love. And the will was gone, the love was there,
05:10and we know they're together right now.
05:12Absolutely. Their children said that they are most likely enjoying a glass of wine,
05:17sitting down watching this, celebrating their love.
05:20Beautiful love story.