Helen Felumlee, 92, of Nashport, Ohio, died on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Her husband, Kenneth Felumlee, 91, died the next morning, according to reports from the Time and the Zanesville Times Recorder.
The couple had been married for 70 years. Their family said they had not slept apart during those decades, even choosing to share one lower bunk during an overnight ferry trip rather than sleep separately.
Their daughter, Linda Cody, said the family expected their deaths to come close together. She said they wanted her parents to go together, and in the end, they did.
From Young Love To A Large Family
Kenneth and Helen had dated for three years before they eloped in Newport, Kentucky, on Feb. 20, 1944. The wedding came two days before Kenneth’s 21st birthday.
Helen soon became pregnant, and the couple went on to raise eight children in Nashport. Kenneth worked as a railcar inspector and rural mail carrier, while Helen helped build the family life that relatives later described as deeply close.
After Kenneth retired, the couple traveled by bus and visited nearly every state. Even near the end of their lives, family members said they ate breakfast together while holding hands.
Care, Illness And A Final Goodbye
Kenneth had one of his legs amputated about two and a half years before his death because of circulation problems, according to the family account reported by the Zanesville Times Recorder. After that, Helen became his main caretaker.
She continued caring for him until about three weeks before her death, when she became too weak to do so. Family members said the two had been holding each other up through illness and age.
After Helen died, Kenneth told his children, “Mom’s dead.” His family said he began to decline quickly after that.
Family Says They Left Together
Kenneth died a few hours later with many close relatives and friends nearby. Cody described the final gathering as peaceful and said her father seemed ready to join Helen.
Their story drew national attention because of the timing of their deaths and the length of their marriage. But for their family, the ending reflected the way Kenneth and Helen had lived for decades.
The couple’s death was not only a story about loss. It was also a story about routine, loyalty, care and the kind of companionship that shaped almost every part of their lives.