Married 71 Years, They Died on Same Day

A Georgia family is celebrating the "amazing love story" of a couple married 71 years before their deaths on the same day, exactly 12 hours apart. Herbert Delaigle died in Waynesboro at 2:20am Friday at age 94. His wife, 88-year-old Frances Delaigle, soon followed, taking her last breath at 2:20pm, reports WRDW. "It's amazing how they were together for 71 years and now they are together in Heaven. What an amazing love story that is," reads a statement from the family. Frances Kilpatrick was just 16 and working at a Waynesboro cafe when 22-year-old Herbert summoned the courage to ask her out in the late 1940s.

"I had my eyes set on her," Herbert told WRDW in June 2018 as the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. He popped the question a year after their first date to the movies. They married in 1948 but were often separated by war. Herbert not only served in World War II, but also in Korea and Vietnam, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "When he's home, I always got his hand," Frances said, noting it's important to "be there for each other." "Show your love," Herbert added. The couple leaves behind six children, 16 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren, according to Herbert's obituary. (More love stories stories.)