Some love stories are eternal and this couple remained together till their last breath.
Some love stories fill your heart with hope even as they end. One feels sad that they passed but their example inspires hope and optimism that true love exists in the world. Such stories stay with us forever because they speak of the two greatest truths in life: love and death. Such is the story of Mary Kepler, 93, and husband Wilford, 94, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who passed away within hours of each other in the same hospital. And even as they took their last breaths, they had held each other's hands and said "I love you" to each other.
As reported by the Metro, Wilford passed away first, six hours before Mary. They were admitted together at the Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. They had both been diagnosed with the virus and due to that, they were together in the hospital as well. Even in their last moments, they remained inseparable.
Mary Kepler and her husband, Wilford, died hours apart after a lifetime together. The pair was in a Wisconsin hospital after contracting coronavirus.
— CNN (@CNN) April 29, 2020
But because they both had the disease, they were able to stay together in their last moments. https://t.co/jtR7uJYlIf
Their granddaughter, Natalie Lameka, speaking with WTMJ, said, "Our family lost the glue that holds us together." She said that it was some comfort to the family that they had not died in isolation and that they had been able to spend their last moments together was a bit of solace they could find. "It was definitely hard. but it was bittersweet," Natalie told the news outlet.
The family, so far, has no idea how the elderly couple contracted the virus. This is strange because they were elderly and had hardly moved out. And the family members they had come in contact with were not showing any symptoms either.
During their last moments, the hospital staff had moved their beds closer so they could be near each other. "They had been holding hands and that was just heartbreaking to hear but also heartwarming to hear. And we were just so thankful they were together and were aware they were together," Natalie told the news outlet.
A Wisconsin couple who had been married 73 years got to hold hands and say a final “I love you” before dying just hours apart from coronavirus, according to their family.
— 👑 Black Professor 👑 (@WonderKing82) April 29, 2020
Wilford Kepler 94 and Mary Kepler, 92
😥❤🌹 pic.twitter.com/s8Mwvz8Hm0
Natalie and her brother were able to spend some time together with their grandparents as the hospital allowed only one visitor per patient. The elderly couple was able to talk to the family through video calls. Natalie recalled, "They were able to say, 'I love you." As heartbreaking as it may seem their love was strong and the marriage of 73 years kept them together until they breathed their last.
Their funeral arrangements are being worked out, as reported by WTMJ, but the family is not yet certain how they will proceed with that. In the meanwhile, Natalie described the hospital staff as "angels" for the amount of care they gave her grandparents and the sensitivity they showed in bringing them closer at the end. May the couple rest in peace, filled with love!
Their passing was similar to another couple in Italy who had spent a lot of time in isolation but had passed within hours of each other when admitted to the hospital. The Italian couple Severa Belotti, 82, and Luigi Carrara, 86, would have made 60 years together had the pandemic not taken their lives. And in this case, too, the only fact that made their deaths bearable for the family was that the couple has stayed together during their final moments.
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