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Real life 'Notebook' couple die hand in hand

A real life 'Notebook' couple who were married for 67 years have died hand in hand at a hospice in the US. Photo: ABC News

A real life ‘Notebook’ style couple who were married for 67 years have died hand-in-hand.

Floyd and Violet Hartwig both passed away on February 11 after separate health battles.

Mr Hartwig had kidney failure and his beloved wife had suffered from dementia for several years.

Remembering her parents their daughter Donna Scharton, from California, USA, told ABC News: "They weren’t fancy. They were just decent people that were always committed to each other, no matter the situation."


As the elderly couple laid close to one another, their family members pushed their beds close together as they all knew the end was near.

Scharton told ABC News: ‘My mum had dementia for the last several years and around the holidays we noticed she was going down.


"Then, I got a call from the doctor saying 'your dad has kidney failure and he has two weeks to live.

“So, we decided to put them in hospice together."

The couple married on August 16, 1947 after meeting at school and they went on to have two other children, Carol and Kennetha as well as Donna.

Scharton said that despite her father’s deteriorating health all he wanted was deteriorating for his beloved wife to get better.


She said: "He would tell the doctor, 'I'm okay I just want her fixed.

"That was his concern; not how bad his pain was, but that he wanted my mum fixed."

One of the couple’s granddaughter’s Cynthia Letson remembers her grandparents as family orientated people.

She added: “They never, ever asked for anything.

"All they ever wanted was their family and it was amazing that they got that in the end.”

Morning news break – February 27