Married 73 Years, Unbeknownst to each other and under a fog of Alzheimer’s disease, a married couple of 73 years died within minutes of each other at separate Kentucky senior homes.
High school sweethearts Lillian, 89, and William (Wild Bill) Wilson, 93, both had the disease and died April 7, something their son always expected. But not quite like this.I know we were going to lose both of them before too long, but there was no indication it would be that close,” Doug Wilson told the Herald-Leader.
He heard the news by way of two phone calls from their nursing homes — separated by about 16 miles — that woke him in the night.
Their love story started in Corbin, Kentucky, where William prevailed as the school’s star quarterback and Lillian played basketball. They ran away together to get married in 1941, the Herald-Leader wrote.
“I don’t think either one of them had the blessing of their parents,” Wilson added.
When the World War II broke out, William enlisted and fought in Germany. He came home to a career at department stores and earning his nickname “Wild Bill” with radio contests.
Despite the onset of his parents' dementia, Wilson made sure to see visit regularly and that the couple saw each other despite living apart. Their last meeting was Christmas.
When Wilson saw his father just two days before his death, he was “barely hanging on.”
The phone calls announcing their deaths came within five minutes of each other.
Wilson noted that it was just like “The Notebook,” a movie in which a husband and wife also suffering from Alzheimer’s die in their sleep together.
High school sweethearts Lillian, 89, and William (Wild Bill) Wilson, 93, both had the disease and died April 7, something their son always expected. But not quite like this.I know we were going to lose both of them before too long, but there was no indication it would be that close,” Doug Wilson told the Herald-Leader.
He heard the news by way of two phone calls from their nursing homes — separated by about 16 miles — that woke him in the night.
Their love story started in Corbin, Kentucky, where William prevailed as the school’s star quarterback and Lillian played basketball. They ran away together to get married in 1941, the Herald-Leader wrote.
“I don’t think either one of them had the blessing of their parents,” Wilson added.
When the World War II broke out, William enlisted and fought in Germany. He came home to a career at department stores and earning his nickname “Wild Bill” with radio contests.
Despite the onset of his parents' dementia, Wilson made sure to see visit regularly and that the couple saw each other despite living apart. Their last meeting was Christmas.
When Wilson saw his father just two days before his death, he was “barely hanging on.”
The phone calls announcing their deaths came within five minutes of each other.
Wilson noted that it was just like “The Notebook,” a movie in which a husband and wife also suffering from Alzheimer’s die in their sleep together.
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