{"id":7958,"date":"2011-10-19T16:17:09","date_gmt":"2011-10-19T20:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/deaconsbench\/?p=7958"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:36:14","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:36:14","slug":"couple-married-72-years-dies-holding-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2011\/10\/couple-married-72-years-dies-holding-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Couple married 72 years dies holding hands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From Iowa, a story of endless love.<\/p>\n

Details: <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Family said the story of Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, is a real-life love story.<\/p>\n

On the day she graduated from high school, Norma Stock said yes to Gordon Yeager\u2019s marriage proposal. The couple got married on May 26, 1939 in State Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very old-fashioned. They believed in marriage til death do you part,\u201d said son Dennis Yeager.<\/p>\n

Dennis Yeager was the youngest of four children born to the couple. His sister Donna was first born.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying together for 72 years is good, I\u2019d say that\u2019s exceptional,\u201d said daughter Donna Sheets.<\/p>\n

The way the kids tell it, dad was the life of the party while mom kept everything together.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody come over \u2014 she was the hostess with the mostess. She just seriously \u2014 the more she did \u2014 the more she smiled,\u201d said Dennis Yeager. \u201cDad would be the center of attention, like, \u2018Weee look at me,\u2019 and mom was like \u2018get him away from me!\u2019 You know we even got a picture like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norma didn\u2019t really want the distance, and family said she hardly left Gordon\u2019s side for 72 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just loved being together. Everybody argues once in awhile, but they still, he said \u2018I have to stick around. I can\u2019t go until she does because I have to stay here for her and she would say the same thing,'\u201d said Dennis Yeager.<\/p>\n

Dennis Yeager said the couple left home last Wednesday to go into town, but they didn\u2019t make it.<\/p>\n

At the intersection of Highway 30 and Jessup Avenue just west of Marshalltown, state troopers said Gordon pulled in front of an oncoming car. The Iowa State Patrol crash report said the other driver attempted to avoid the crash but was unable to stop in time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI rushed from Des Moines where I was working and saw them in the hospital,\u201d said Dennis Yeager.<\/p>\n

In the intensive care unit of Marshalltown\u2019s hospital, nurses knew not to separate Gordon and Norma.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey brought them in the same room in intensive care and put them together \u2014 and they were holding hands in ICU. They were not really responsive,\u201d said Dennis Yeager.<\/p>\n

Gordon died at 3:38 p.m. holding hands with his wife as the family they built surrounded them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really strange, they were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn\u2019t figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going,\u201d said Dennis Yeager. \u201cBut we were like, he isn\u2019t breathing. How does he still have a heart beat? The nurse checked and said that\u2019s because they were holding hands and it\u2019s going through them. Her heart was beating through him and picking it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were still getting her heartbeat through him,\u201d said Donna Sheets.<\/p>\n

At 4:38 p.m., exactly one hour after Gordon died, Norma passed too.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither one of them would\u2019ve wanted to be without each other. I couldn\u2019t figure out how it was going to work,\u201d said Donna Sheets. \u201cWe were very blessed, honestly, that they went this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just loved being together,\u201d said Dennis Yeager.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a> God bless them both.<\/p>\n

You can check out video and a slide show at this link. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Iowa, a story of endless love. Details: Family said the story of Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, is a real-life love story. On the day she graduated from high school, Norma Stock said yes to Gordon Yeager\u2019s marriage proposal. The couple got married on May 26, 1939 in State Center. \u201cThey\u2019re very old-fashioned. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[11192,747],"class_list":["post-7958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-this-that","tag-prayer","tag-royal-wedding"],"yoast_head":"\nCouple married 72 years dies holding hands<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Iowa, a story of endless love. Details: Family said the story of Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, is a real-life love story. 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