Being with one’s marriage partner for 67 years is something that is truly admirable—so many experiences, so many memories. The strength of character displayed by both sides is the solid foundation that makes marriage stand the test of time, and is something money just can’t buy.
Beatrice Whitehead and Bert Whitehead married in 1950. Beatrice, then 87, and Bert, then 90, are parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, and are spending precious moments together in the twilight of their lives.
Beatrice chose not to receive any more treatment for the bone cancer that she was battling with for the last six years. In April 2017, Beatrice was admitted to the Royal Hospital, Greater Manchester, and was preparing to die.
Not long after, Bert suddenly developed pain in his chest and was admitted for a chest infection. The hospital staff at the Royal Hospital helped move the childhood sweethearts’ beds next to each other so they could be together until the end of their days.
Their daughter, Suzanne, then 52, of Farnworth, Greater Manchester, said her mother had given up. She said: “Mom has been struggling with this cancer for six years and she’s had enough. It’s become too hard.”
Suzanne said: “I can’t thank hospital staff enough for putting them together like this.”
“It’s made this heartbreaking situation so much more bearable for our family,” Suzanne said.
Beatrice and Bert were childhood sweethearts. They met while both were in their early teens. Beatrice was a tender 15 and Bert was two years older, at 17 years old. They produced four children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren and have been described as “inseparable.”
Beatrice, a former dressmaker, and Bert, a former driver for a bathroom company, were married in 1950 after Bert had finished his national service. The sweet couple spent their honeymoon in Manchester in the 50s.
Suzanne said: “They have been together forever and we’ve all had a wonderful life...I couldn’t have wished to be born into a better family.”
A spokesman for Royal Bolton Hospital said, “We take every step possible to support patients and their relatives when they are approaching the end of life.”
“We know how much the little things matter and we do all we can to get them right,” said hospital staff.
They celebrated their precious years together with a toast and glass of prosecco.
This dear couple has truly had a great and enduring marriage. What more could one hope for?
