Couple together for 59 years; die moments apart

[Renew Deal]

Source: Northwest Florida Daily News

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS – He was quiet. She wasn’t. He liked to hunt, while she loved her potted plants.

She was 16 when they met in a skating rink. They eloped in a dump truck later that year.

After 59 years of marriage, James and Lolie Brackin died Saturday morning only moments apart.

“They say when you die, you’re immediately in the presence of Jesus,” said their youngest daughter, Dana Troublefield. “I think she got up there and said, ‘Where’s my husband?’ And Jesus said, ‘Just a minute. I’m working on that.’

“She didn’t like to go anywhere alone,” Troublefield added.

At the time of their deaths, James was 79 and Lolie three years younger. They called each other “Honey” so often that one of their granddaughters thought it was her grandfather’s name.
<snip>

They were watching Animal Planet, one of their favorite shows, when a nurse’s aide checked on them.

“I’m going to die today,” Lolie told the aide, who asked her if she needed to go back to the hospital. No, she just felt “different,” Lolie told her.

When the aide came back a short time later, Lolie wasn’t breathing. Moments later, they discovered James had also passed away.

The doctor said he believes James heard that his wife had died and the shock killed him.

Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/years-23769-couple-defuniak.html

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Photo Gallery: http://nwfdailynews.emeraldcoastphotoswest.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=909556&CategoryID=28208&ListSubAlbums=0

[virgogal]

1. Sad,but weren't they lucky to have had eachother for so many years,

[superconnected]

6. yep right to the end. Poor kids though, lost them both at once.

[Craftsman]

2. RIP

[JuniperLea]

3. We should all be so lucky to have a love like that...

RIP, gentle people.

I knew a married couple, family friends I've known all my life, and they died within 24 hours of each other. I knew they were just that much in love. Bitter sweet.

[debbierlus]

4. Beautiful -that's how I want to go - in my old age

[Brickbat]

5. Great story.

And while I'm not religious, I like the idea of taking comfort in the idea of Jesus saying, "Just give me a second, willya?"

[leftynyc]

7. Heartwarming and heartbreaking

59 years together - we should all be so lucky.

[AndyA]

8. Bless their hearts. True love doesn't come to many.

RIP, you'll be together for eternity now.

[proteus_lives]

9. Sad and...I don't know. I don't want to say happy but it's something.

They had each other for their whole lives. That makes me happy and hopeful.

And that's a speck of dirt in my eye. Nothing else.

R.I.P. and Godspeed Lolie and James.

[high density]

10. Why did Jesus want that guy to die?

Oh the humanity.

[Uncle Joe]

11. Good for them, RIP.

Thanks for the thread, Renew Deal:thumbsup:

[fl_dem]

what a bittersweet story

The newspaper link is my hometown paper, you all should check out the opinion page and blogger comments and you will soon get an idea of the idiots I am surrounded by. I stopped commenting on the site a few months ago. There are only a handful of left leaning bloggers here and if you utter one pro-Obama/democrat/liberal sounding word, you are attacked by at least 10 people at a time...hence my becoming a DU'er.

[Faygo Kid]

12. My former in-laws - 60 years married - died three days apart.

They were fortunate. Neither knew of the other's death. One was completely lucid, and went first. Three days later, the other went, of Alzheimer's. Lovely people.

[Renew Deal]

13. kick

:kick:

[Kadie]

14. .

Such a sad yet beautiful story.

[regnaD kciN]

15. My folks knew an older couple...

...who lived well into their ninties. Never went into a nursing home, always managed living at home without assistance even in their later years. I don't remember which died first, but the other only lived a couple of days thereafter. That's the way to go, if you ask me.