Illinois couple married 69 years dies 40 minutes apart

SKOKIE, Illinois -- A Skokie couple who had been married for nearly 70 years died together over the weekend.

The Daily Herald reports Isaac and Teresa Vatkin were wheeled into the same room on Saturday so they could be together as they took their last breaths.

Family members positioned Teresa, 89, and Isaac, 91, so that their hands touched in their final moments. They died just 40 minutes apart at Highland Park Hospital.

"I didn't want them to be scared," their granddaughter Debbie Handler told the Daily Herald. "I thought maybe if they knew the other was there, it would help."

You can read the full story on DailyHerald.com.