After Her Husband Got Dementia, She Visited Him Every Day Then Her Son Witnessed The Unthinkable

When Hazel Cherry's husband was struck down with dementia, she did everything she could to ensure that the pair stayed close. However, it wasn't until years later that their son realized just how inseparable they had become during their long lives. Hazel and Leonard Cherry grew up just a few minutes drive away from each other in small adjacent towns in Texas. However, it was only at high school that they eventually came into each other's lives and a beautiful romance then blossomed. The pair were head over heels in love with each other and continued to date after high school. They eventually tied the knot in 1942 and so began a wonderful life together filled with love and happiness. Indeed, they spent almost every waking moment together. One of the rare times when the Cherries were forced apart was when Leonard joined up with the Army Air Corps during World War II. The brave serviceman was stationed at the Carswell Base in nearby Fort Worth. During his time in the military, Leonard helped to train many young pilots. The couple were then blessed with a bundle of joy in 1944 when their son David came into the world. The news caused the Cherries to up sticks and relocate to Fort Worth. Once the war was over, moreover, Leonard began working as an auto repair technician so that he could provide for his family. However, it wasn't long before the pair decided to risk it all by starting up their own business, an auto shop known as Cherry Hill. It was a successful operation for more than three decades but then the Cherries decided to call it a day so they could move closer to their grandkids. So, the Cherries moved to Woodway, a sleepy Texas town with a population of less than 10,000. It was the ideal location to watch their grandchildren grow older and to live out the rest of their own years. Yes, the pair were so close that they rarely spent a day apart during their long lives. Their son David has even claimed that his parents never argued during their marriage. In 2016, he told People, They never really spent a day apart unless it was for a family emergency or something, and I never heard a cross word between them. I never heard them raise their voices to each other unless they were calling across the yard. They didn't fight. The couple also enjoyed a beautiful bond with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And while speaking about the moments that they enjoyed with his kids and grandchildren, David was full of praise. The kids just adored my parents, he told People. They had such a special relationship. They were so close and came to all their school events. When my son was growing up, Dad came to all of his basketball games. The pair lived a happy and fruitful life. That was until tragedy struck. Leonard was diagnosed with dementia and he was later moved to a care facility in the city of Waco. Hazel would visit him, assisting with his care and even moved into an independent living facility in the same building so they could remain close. She cared tirelessly for Leonard and stayed with him throughout much of his illness. As David explained to People, Up until the very end, until right before they died, she was with him every day and ate lunch with him in his room. There was no question that their love was always there. Hazel lived a full life and could regularly be seen driving to and from the grocery store until just a few weeks before she died. While her husband's health went downhill in the latter years of his life, Hazel passed away suddenly in April 2016. She started getting tired and weaker and on the day she passed, she couldn't get out of bed, David explained to People. My daughter was talking to her when she blinked, smiled and let go. The family couldn't bear to break the news to Leonard. However, just a few hours later, he too passed away. A caregiver at the facility said that he'd been restless before suddenly becoming calm and breathing his last on Earth. Family members were baffled by the fact that the lifelong sweethearts passed away within mere hours of each other. David believes that the two had such a strong connection that Leonard, before he died, could sense that his wife had passed away. Moreover, David has said that perhaps divine intervention may have played a role in the two passing away just hours apart. He's also claimed that the ending is exactly what the couple themselves would have chosen. It's what God wanted, he told People, and I think it's what they wanted too. In the hours following their deaths, family members paid tribute to the couple, who they described as remaining deeply in love. The pair will now spend eternity together after they were laid to rest, following a memorial service close to their home. David added that the couple will be missed by all who knew them. It's kind of hard, you know. You can't pick up the phone and call them anymore, he said. The more I began to think about it, I began to smile because of how much they loved each other. Despite the sadness, however, the couple's son is happy that the pair are now together, in peace, and that his father's suffering at the hands of dementia has passed. I feel blessed that daddy's suffering is over, and I felt blessed that mom was with him, and that she didn't have to live alone, he said to CNN in 2016. Speaking about the couple's legacy, David's son Craig said that they taught him how to love all people. Meanwhile, he believes that the couple will meet once again in the afterlife. There is no question in my mind that my grandmother was waiting for him in heaven with open arms, Craig Cherry told Fox 6 News in 2016. The incident is not the first of its kind, however. There have, in fact, been many lifelong couples who have passed away within hours of each other. In 2016, a New Zealand husband and wife died just hours apart following seven decades of marriage, and in another case, a couple of 58 years passed away while holding each other's hands. Proof, perhaps, that true love really does last forever.