[Vision2020] Couple Married 75 Years, Die A Day Apart

[Scott Dredge]

'[Professor Javier Espinosa, who led the study at the Rochester Institute of 
  Technology,] found men who are grieving after their wife's death experience a 30 per 
  cent increase in mortality. For women, there is no increased chance of dying 
  due to the loss of their husband.'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/elderhealth/9625818/Men-more-likely-to-die-after-losing-their-wife-but-women-carry-on-as-normal.html

From: scooterd408 at hotmail.com
To: thansen at moscow.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:02:23 -0600
CC: jeannemchale at hotmail.com; fritzknorr at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Couple Married 75 Years, Die A Day Apart




<their parents didn't believe the match would last.>
This is common.  When I attend weddings I often say 'It'll never last' mainly because 1) they usually don't last, and 2) at milestone weddings anniversaries it's typical to note 'and they said it would never last.'  Two years ago one of my college roommates succumbed to marriage after dating his girlfriend for 21 years.  I predicted they would be divorced within 6 months having seen many solid long term relationships become destroyed after tying the knot.  So far they're still strong after 24+ months so I've been proven wrong on this one.

<She passed away on July 16. Les died the following day>
My great grandfather died the day after my great grandmother.  He was heartbroken and the shock of losing he was too much for his system.  Anyway, I recall in a college Psychology class that statistically men don't live very long after their wives die.  On the other hand, women often thrive for many years - sometimes decades - after their husbands pass away.

-Scott

From: thansen at moscow.com
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:30:47 -0700
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
CC: jeannemchale at hotmail.com; fritzknorr at gmail.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Couple Married 75 Years, Die A Day Apart

Courtesy of KHQ at:
http://www.khq.com/story/22966050/couple-married-75-years  --------------------------------------Couple Married 75 Years, Die A Day Apart
When Les and Helen Brown became high school sweethearts more than 75 years ago, their parents didn't believe the match would last.Les' father was a businessman and prosperous landowner in Southern California. Helen's father worked on the railroad. "Both families were not too thrilled about the union," their son Les Brown Jr. told TODAY.com. "The good news is they proved them wrong."Les and Helen, who were born on the same day in 1918, celebrated 75 years of marriage in September with a quiet gathering over cake. "They really enjoyed each other's company," Les Jr. said. "They were really inseparable and were never apart."That bond was so strong that neither Les nor Helen wanted to live without each other, though they knew that the end might be imminent. Les had been sick with Parkinson's disease for some time, and Helen was battling stomach cancer.Les recently slipped into a coma at the couple's Long Beach, Calif., home, and hospice workers said he might live for just a few more days. Helen, who was expected to survive for some months, became very weak. She passed away on July 16. Les died the following day — he never knew about his wife's death. They were 94 years old.Les and Helen's love story, first reported by the Long Beach Press-Telegram, has since gone viral. Their son Daniel told TODAY.com that his parents wouldn't have shared the same opinion of the ensuing attention."Mom hated notoriety. I don't think she would have enjoyed it," he said. His father, though, was a photographer and perhaps had an appreciation for a warmhearted story. "He would have loved it."Daniel said such differences are what made his parents so well matched. Helen was very sweet but particular about how things should be done. Les, on the other hand, was easygoing, a "man of simple pleasures" who loved coffee and donuts. Helen kept the family humming along while Les helped her relax when life became hectic or complicated. "What one lacked, the other made up for," Daniel said.The couple loved to travel and often took road trips up the California coast to San Francisco and Monterey. They doted on their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They also shared a deep religious faith as Jehovah's Witnesses, which helped them weather a difficult period of their marriage in the 1950s. "They were very forgiving of each other's foibles and weaknesses. They were so willing to work at making themselves happy."Daniel said that their marriage was a testament to the power of love: "It knows no barriers and seems to know no bounds. They were from different sides of the tracks and it didn't seem to matter to them. After 78 years, they were very much in love."--------------------
--------------------------------------

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)http://www.MoscowCares.com  Tom HansenMoscow, Idaho
"There's room at the top they are telling you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
- John Lennon
  
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 serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
               http://www.fsr.net
          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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