They passed away within minutes of each other. Married to each other for 69 years, Isaac and Teresa Vatkin passed away, last weekend, as they lay side by side in an Illinois hospital.
After realising that both of them were nearing death, the hospital moved their beds closer so the elderly couple could share their final moments together.
Close family surrounded the couple and helped them put their hands together.
“I did not want them to be scared,” said granddaughter Debbie Handler. “I thought maybe if they knew the other was there, it would help.”
Teresa, who was 89 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s, died first. Isaac, 91, followed 40 minutes later. PHOTO COURTESY: LEO VATKIN
Originally from Argentina, Isaac and Teresa tied the knot in 1947 and moved to the US, where Isaac went into business as a kosher meat distributor, while Teresa worked as a manicurist.
Teresa, 89 at the time of her death, had suffered from Alzheimer’s – a disease that prevents the brain from functioning normally and causes loss of memory, loss of ability to speak clearly, etc. – died first. Isaac, 91, followed her 40 minutes later.
Their family took comfort in the fact that the elderly couple died together. “You did not want to see them go,” said grandson William Vatkin, “but you could not ask for anything more.”
“Their love for each other was so strong, they simply could not live without each other,” said daughter Clara during their joint funeral service on Monday.
