Couple Married 65 Years Die Hours Apart

LaVerne and Robert Werner married 65 years ago, after Robert returned from World War II, and from then on LaVerne's life was about taking care of him. "He came first," their son tells the Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pa. "Her first concern was always for him." When Robert developed Alzheimer's disease, LaVerne took care of him up until four months ago, when they moved into a shared room at a personal-care home. That's where, on Tuesday, LaVerne quietly passed away—followed, 12 hours later, by Robert.

"They did everything together," son Barry says. "They didn’t always agree with each other, but if one went, the other was going to follow soon." After his mother died following a series of mini-strokes, Barry could tell "something was wrong" with his dad, he says. "I could tell by his actions that something was bothering him." But both died peacefully. "I think he heard her calling—that she told him that it was OK." (More marriage stories.)