PICTURED: The dying embrace of husband and wife who were married for 75 years and died just hours apart

03 Jul, 2015 by John Brodgian

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You’re going to need a few tissues for this one. An elderly couple lived out their dying wish…in each others arms.

A poignant photo has emerged which shows an elderly couple who were married for 75 years fulfilling their final wishes to die together. Jeanette Toczko, 96, and her 95-year-old husband, Alexander Toczko, from San Diego, California, died just hours apart as they held hands in bed.

But several weeks ago, Mr Toczko suffered a broken hip in a fall and was left bed-bound. A local hospice delivered a special bed to his home, which staff pushed up next to his beloved wife’s bed.

As Mr Toczko’s condition quickly declined, Mrs Toczko’s own health took a turn for the worse. The couple had always said they wished to die ‘in their own bed, holding hands, in each other’s arms’.