Buhler, KS – Though you might tell your significant other “I can’t live without you,” that corny romantic platitude sometimes turns out to be true after a 62-year-long marriage.
It’s like the ending to The Notebook , except that for Melvin and Doris Cornelson, a couple married for 62 long and happy years, dying within hours of each other was the real-life ending to their romance, reports MSN . The two had never dated anyone else, and in fact, Melvin was the only man that Doris had ever kissed.
When 85-year-old Melvin died of complications from cancer the morning of November 29, Doris mourned her husband’s loss with her family, went to bed around noon, and never woke up.
Daughter Candi Sawatzky told KWCH a bit about her parents’ long marriage, giving us a glimpse into a successful romance.
“They always stuck up for each other. Always. She said he was the first man she ever kissed and the only one she ever kissed,” says Candi.
“Everywhere they went they got attention. They’re that couple that grew old together,” said Diana Spencer, who works at the Sunshine Meadows Retirement Community in Buhler.
Recounting the day that both parents passed away, Candi said “She got up and came and sat with him,” but then hours later began to fade herself. “She sat with us all morning and planned some things. She went to bed at noon and never got up.”
Candi’s husband, Randy, has a theory regarding the phenomenon. “I think he said enough was enough and that gives her permission to go,” he said.
“I do think it was permission for her to go,” Candi concurred.
Though the family is in mourning, the loss is bittersweet. Candi says she’s confident that both Melvin and Doris are together again.
“They’re together…they’re happy,” she said.
