FRESNO-
A Central California couple spent 67 years together, devoted as husband and wife, and when their lives ended, they left this world together, holding hands.
Their children knew they were close to death earlier this month, and pushed Floyd and Violet Hartwig’s hospice beds together, according to the Fresno Bee. They then gently placed their father’s hand in their mother’s.
On February 11, at their Fresno home, Floyd, 90, died first, then just five hours later, Violet passed away.
“They wanted to go together,” their daughter, Donna Scharton, told the Fresno Bee this week. “It was meant to be that way.”
Floyd and Violet knew each other as children, growing up in Easton, on the outskirts of Fresno County. While Floyd, a decorated Navy sailor, was home on leave, he met Violet at a local dance hall. They married on August 16, 1947. While Floyd was serving overseas, his family told the newspaper he showered Violet with affection through love letters.
Once home, Floyd and Violet raised three children and grew cotton and raised turkeys on their farm.
Their children say the couple remained active until just recently, around the holidays Violet’s dementia worsened. Then in late January, Floyd’s doctor gave him only a few weeks to live because of his failing kidneys.
Hospice beds were brought into their home, and the couple spent their remaining weeks together side-by-side.
