Isaac and Teresa Vatkin met as teens in Argentina, but lived so far away from one another that they communicated via letter, before eventually marrying at 22 and 20, respectively. The couple then came to the United States, eventually settling down in Illinois, and raising three children, according to the Daily Herald. Isaac built a kosher meat distribution business from the ground up, and Teresa worked as a homemaker and manicurist.
They stayed happily married and in love for 69 years, until this week. When the staff at Highland Park Hospital in Illinois noticed they were both unresponsive and breathing slowly, they wheeled the couple into the same room so they could be together, side by side. Teresa passed away first, at age 89, holding Isaac's hand. Forty minutes after Teresa's bed was removed from the room, their son Leo said he noticed his father had stopped breathing as well and had also passed.
The Daily Herald reported that when Teresa was diagnosed with Alzheimers, Isaac learned how to use a computer for the sole purpose of researching the condition and any cures, and fought to stay her caretaker until the very end. When the family had to move Teresa out of their home for specialized care, he still visited her every day.
Their surviving family members at least took solace in the fact that they were at least comforted by each other's presences until the very end. Their grandson William Vatkin, told The Daily Herald, "You didn't want to see them go, but you couldn't ask for anything more."
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