An Ohio couple who were married for 79 years spent their last moments together.
Hubert and June Malicote, both 100, died last week, their 76-year-old son, Sam Malicote, told The Dayton Daily News.
On Nov. 30, Hubert preceded his wife in death “by only hours, marking the end of their 81-year-love story,” according to his obituary.
About 20 hours later, June died on the afternoon of Dec. 1, Sam told The Dayton Daily News.
“I feel sad, but I shouldn’t. Who can expect to live a life like that?” he told the newspaper. They went out together,” he added.
Sam told the paper that after celebrating Thanksgiving as a family, his mother became ill and entered hospice care. (Today previously reported that in recent years June had suffered several strokes.)
During a visit on Nov. 25, Hubert “fell apart” and was also admitted, Sam said. After being unconscious for days in the same room, the 76-year-old said that his father died of a “broken heart.”
Both born in July 1922, Hubert and June tied the knot on June 8, 1943, they previously told NBC station WLWT.
The couple then spent two years apart while Hubert was stationed in Hawaii during World War II. But upon his return, June was right there waiting for him at the station, he recalled.
They went on to welcome three children, 7 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, according to their obituaries.
Reflecting on their decades-long love, the pair previously said that one secret to their lasting bond was to avoid arguments.
“We’ve never had one quarrel,” Hubert told WLWT.
“If there’s controversy, you might have to walk away for a couple minutes,” he noted during a separate interview with Today. “Then you come back in and change the subject or you work it out.”
Additionally, their daughter Jo told the outlet that the pair “hold hands and say goodnight to each other” every night.
“Then in the morning, they are so happy to see each other,” she added. “They greet each other with huge smiles.”
Speaking with Today, Hubert said that he couldn’t imagine being without his beloved wife.
“It’s kind of like if we aren’t together, the team is broken,” he told the outlet back in June. “We’ve had a wonderful life.”