After 71 Years of Marriage, a Husband and Wife Die on the Same Day

Wire Service
By Wire Service
July 16, 2019Trending
share
After 71 Years of Marriage, a Husband and Wife Die on the Same Day
Elderly couple's hands with wedding ring file image. (Michelle Scott/Pixabay)

In the age of modern relationships and online dating, it’s hard to find a love story that genuinely melts your heart and warms your soul.

But once in a while, a couple comes along who gives you hope that true love still exists.

Such is the story of Herbert DeLaigle, 94, and Marilyn Frances DeLaigle, 88. The couple died just 12 hours apart on Friday after 71 years of marriage, according to CNN affiliate WRDW/WAGT.

Their Love Story Began 72 Years Ago

The DeLaigles’ story began nearly 72 years ago in a cafe, according to WRDW/WADT.

“Frances worked at a little cafe we had in Waynesboro named White Way Cafe,” Herbert DeLaigle said in a 2018 interview with WRDW/WAGT. “I kept seeing her going in and out, in and out and I had my eyes set on her. And then I finally got up the nerve to ask her if she would go out with me sometime.”

They told the affiliate they went to the movies for their first date. One year later, he asked her to be his wife.

According to an obituary, Marilyn DeLaigle spent six years in Germany with her husband who served in the Army during World War II. Herbert DeLaigle also served in Korea and Vietnam and retired from the Army after 22 years of service, according to his obituary.

The couple is survived by their six children, 16 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held for the couple on Monday.

Broken Heart Syndrome

When married couples or family members die following the death of a loved one, the second death is often attributed to a broken heart.

“Broken heart syndrome—which is, in fact, a real thing—is when someone finds out some shocking news, typically terrible news, and there’s a massive release of these stress hormones that are released into the bloodstream, and the heart is then bombarded with these stress hormones,” said Dr. Matthew Lorber, a psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Severe emotional shock can cause an abrupt weakening of the heart, which can mimic a heart attack.

Couple Dies One Day Apart

For the past seven years, Warren Chapple made sure he visited his wife Joan at the nursing home twice a day. The couple has been married for 70 years and nothing seemed to be able to separate them—not even death.

Joan Chapple, who suffered from Alzheimer, passed away in February, at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home in New York at age 87. Warren then followed his wife, passing away the next day at age 92.

Break out the tissues.

Fox 8 News စာစုတင်ရာတွင် အသုံးပြုမှု ၂၀၁၉၊ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီ ၂၃၊ စနေနေ့

In an interview with Times Union, the couple’s son Marc said his father Warren made a 10-mile trip to feed Joan breakfast every morning. He would then keep her company for two hours before returning home to rest. At around 5 p.m., he would make another trip to the nursing home so that he could feed his wife dinner. He would accompany her until the nurses put her to bed.

Marc said only illness and bad weather would keep Warren, who was living at his son’s home at the time, from his routine.

“He lived for my mother,” Marc said.

“He kept her alive with that love,” Marc’s wife, Pattie, added.

When they were younger, Warren worked as a service technician for Hart’s Fuel Service. Joan was a seamstress for Standard Manufacturing in Lansingburgh.

But at 92 years of age, Warren’s health was also deteriorating. He suffered from esophageal cancer, which recently had made him too weak to continue his journeys to the nursing home. The final time he visited his wife was on Jan. 28.

One day, Warren asked about his wife out of the blue, as if he knew something was happening.

“How’s mom?” Warren asked, reported Times-Union. “Is she like me?”

Hours later, Joan passed away.

“She’s gone,” Marc told his father. “You can go now.”

It was not clear whether Warren understood his son’s message but he did follow his wife the next day.

The couple shared a funeral together on Feb. 23 and will be buried at Elmwood Hill Cemetery side by side, according to the news website. They are survived by two sons; Bruce Chapple and Marc, three grandchildren; Kari (Keith) Hankle, Brian (Lea Peplowski), and Brittany Chapple, as well as 3 great-grandchildren, according to a joint obituary.

Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this article.

2019 CNN Trademark

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments