Elderly couple die holding hands minutes apart after 69 years of marriage

"They were always in love, literally to the end"

Family members took comfort in knowing they were together at the end

An elderly couple’s beautiful love story has sadly come to an end after they passed away side by side after 69 years of marriage.

Isaac Vatkin, 91, held the hand of his wife Teresa, 89, as she passed away after having Alzheimer’s disease on Saturday, the Daily Herald reports.

And, just 40 minutes later, Isaac died too.

Family members took comfort in knowing they were together at the end and positioned their hands so they touched in their final moments.

“I didn't want them to be scared,” said their granddaughter Debbie Handler.

Isaac and Teresa Vatkin on their wedding day (Image: Leo Vatkin)

“I thought maybe if they knew the other was there, it would help.”

Together, the couple from Illinois raised three children; Clara, Daniel and Leonardo, and were said to have had a close relationship with their grandchildren.

Together, the couple from Illinois raised three children (Image: Leo Vatkin) (© Leo Vatkin)

As family and friends gathered on Monday at the couples' joint funeral, daughter Clara Gesklin recalled: “Their love for each other was so strong, they simply could not live without each other.“

Having met in their native Argentina, Mr and Mrs Vatkin communicated by writing letters, eventually marrying and moving the US where Isaac built a successful business as a Kosher meat distributor.Teresa was a homemaker and manicurist.

“They were always in love, literally to the end. To the last second,” said Rabbi Barry Schechter, who led the service at the Shalom Memorial Funeral Home.

This is not the first instance of a long-married couple passing away in quick succession. Earlier this month, a couple from Dartford, Kent died on the same day after 77 years of marriage.