A 99-year-old New York man walks six miles a day to visit his beloved wife of 55 years in the hospital.
Luther Younger lives in the city of Rochester, and as a former Marine who fought in the Korean War, he’s known for being strong and independent. He even runs part of the three miles each way from his home to Strong Memorial Hospital, according to CBS.
Younger’s wife Waverlee is paralyzed and has suffered from brain cancer since 2009.
“My dad’s always walked. He says he does it to stay alive,” his daughter Lutheta Younger told Spectrum News. “He still says, ‘Nope I have to get out there to my wife. I have to go.’”
ACT OF LOVE: This 99-year-old man walks six miles every single day — no matter the weather — to visit his wife in the hospital. And listening to him talk about her will renew your faith in love. https://t.co/1yuoLLIxNG pic.twitter.com/r7ja7ZFd3y
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 1, 2018
A Great Marriage
Luther Younger loves to talk about his marriage and praises his wife.
“She’s the best cup of tea I ever had. She would come in and kiss me and say baby and feed me in the bed and this is what I need right here,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk about nothing except my wife,” the Korean War veteran added to CBS. He said he could wait for the bus or have his daughter give him a ride but he doesn’t want to wait for a ride.
“She is a beautiful lady and she treats me as a person is supposed to be … she made a man out of me,” he said. “That’s why I love her, because she’s tough. She’s not weak … That’s the kind of woman I want.”
Younger and Waverlee met in a laundromat and got married at their house; they had Lutheta together, and Younger’s wife also helped him raise children from a previous relationship of his. He credited her with making it as long as he has.
“She wasn’t easy. She was the type of person, if you didn’t work, you got to go. And I had to work,” he said. “That’s why I’m sticking with her, because if it hadn’t been for my wife, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Check it out! I donated to 'Luther and Waverlee Younger' – https://t.co/l5x2ehEQLG via @gofundme
— Sondra Gail Adam (@SGailAdam) September 1, 2018
He Wants to Walk
People often recognize him while driving by and will sometimes offer him a ride but he always declines, according to the broadcaster.
“People tell me to act my age—yeah, right. They’re jealous because I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, because it’s no good. I wouldn’t be here [if I did],” he said.
Lutheta said she tries to arrange rides for her father but he is often on his own schedule.
“My dad says it keeps him alive, it keeps him going,” she said.
The attention on the family has grown and a GoFundMe fundraiser has raised over $56,000 for Waverlee’s medical care as of September 1.
