Will and Judy Webb got married in 1963 and spent 56 years together until several months ago when they died—holding hands.
The couple died within hours of each other on March 2 at a Detroit hospice.
Will and Judy Webb met when they were 14 and became friends.
Will Webb went overseas to serve in the Korean War and as the two wrote letters to one another, their affection blossomed.
They tied the knot on Feb. 16, 1963.
The couple had three daughters.
“The love and mutual respect,” said Lori Thomas, a daughter, according to the report. “They always had their arms on each other. If she was away five minutes, he would say ‘Where’s mama, have you seen mama?’”
Things took a turn several months ago when Judy suffered complications from routine surgery.
“It went bad,” Thomas said.
Seeing his wife’s state deteriorate, Will’s health quickly declined.
“My father watched it and broke,” Thomas told the news outlet.
Both underwent treatment, but eventually ended up in hospice.
“I put him in hospice and let God take it from there, and my mom just started declining so bad we said we have to get them back together, we can’t do this, they can’t die without one another,” said Ann Warren, a daughter. “We said ‘Mom, you want to see dad?’ She said ‘Yes.’ (She was) all excited and they brought mom through the door in dad’s room and he looked over and saw her and said ‘Mama!’ And that was like the last thing he said.”
The couple’s daughters pushed the beds of their parents together on March 2 at hospice so they could be close to each other.
“They were holding hands and when my dad took his last breath, my mom went like this rubbing his hand,” said Thomas. “She wasn’t responding but she knew he died, so she rubbed his hand like I'll be there soon—and she was.”
A few hours later, Judy died.
Couple Dies One Day Apart After 70 Years of Marriage
The story of Will and Judy Webb recalls the case of a New York couple who after 70 years of marriage died one day apart.Joan Chapple died on Feb. 17 at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home in New York at age 87. Warren Chapple then followed his wife, dying the next day at age 92.
Marc said only illness and bad weather would keep Warren, who was living at his son’s home at the time, from his routine.
“He lived for my mother,” Marc said.
“He kept her alive with that love,” Marc’s wife, Pattie, added.
But at 92 years of age, Warren’s health was also deteriorating. He suffered from esophageal cancer, which made him too weak to continue his journeys to the nursing home. The final time he visited his wife was on Jan. 28.
One day, Warren asked about his wife out of the blue, as if he knew something was happening.
“How’s mom?” Warren asked, reported Times-Union. “Is she like me?”
Hours later, Joan died.
“She’s gone,” Marc told his father. “You can go now.”
It was not clear whether Warren understood his son’s message but he did follow his wife the next day.
