A couple married for 67 years died within two hours of each other on Tuesday, a fate they'd told their family they'd hoped for.
Hugh Nees, 94, and wife Joan, 92, checked into a double room at an elderly care facility three months ago amid declining health, and slipped into death at 10:20 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively,
reported New Zealand news site NZ Stuff.
Both were in their sleep. Hugh lost his battle with cancer, and Joan suffered a stroke.
"We think it was a miracle, really, it was just what they wanted," daughter Joy Reid said Thursday. "They said they wanted to die together, and I didn't expect it to really happen. It was just perfect for them."
"Not only did they share a common purpose, they had a strong personal love for each other, a close relationship," she added.
Hugh and Joan will have a joint memorial service at Waikanae Baptist Church on June 30.
Hugh was a Baptist minister, and together he and his wife worked in churches across New Zealand and in Papua New Guinea.
"They were strong Christians and therefore they knew where they were going, and they had no problem about going there," son Robert Nees
told The New Zealand Herald. "Their departure, it's sad but happy — life wasn't easy for the last little while and that's over, that's all good."
The Nees are survived by two sons, two daughters, 14 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
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