31/08/2013 15:55
Couple married for 71 years die hours apart
A husband and wife who eloped in 1942 and were married for more than seven decades died hours apart this week at a hospice in northern Illinois, the Daily Mail reported.
Family members say Robert and Nora Viands were inseparable during their marriage, which included three separate wedding ceremonies. Together, they raised five children.
'They were really never apart,' said one of their daughters, Barb Milton. 'They would hold hands in the dining room.'
The two lived together in their home until moving to a Rockford retirement center earlier this year as their health deteriorated.
Robert Viands, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, was 92 when he died around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Nora Viands, 88, died at 4:45 p.m. She'd been hospitalized with pneumonia in December.