Married for nearly 70 years, Illinois couple Issac and Teresa Vatkin were holding hands in the hospital when she passed away. Minutes later, after their hands were separated, the husband also died.
Their daughter Clara, who immigrated to the United States with her parents in the 1960s from Argentina, shared the story of their enduring 69-year marriage.
“They were wonderful people. They were in love,” Clara told KTLA sister station WGN-TV in Chicago. “Never let a fight divide you, separate you. Never go to bed angry. Make sure you kiss each other when you go to bed. Those are the things that my mother taught me.”
Teresa’s sister was 13 when the couple met during a party. A romance blossomed over a number of years even though they lived in different cities. Issac wrote three letters a week to Teresa.
“And she fell in love,” the sister said. “And two years later they were engaged.”
They built their family in South America and later moved to the United States. Isaac found success as a kosher meat distributor and Teresa as a mother and manicurist.
Their health declined in recent years, but their love did not.
This past weekend, both were brought to the hospital for different reasons. The doctors and nurses said time, for both husband and wife, was coming to an end.
Both were brought to each other’s side and his hand was placed on hers.
That same day, Teresa opened her eyes.
“She looked at us. She looked at me and my brothers and she was gone,” Clara says.
Teresa’s bed was moved away from Issac’s and their hands separated.
Clara says when their hands separated, “My father’s chest went flat. I would think no more than 20 minutes. They were both gone.”
