They both celebrated their 100th birthday and 79th wedding anniversary this year. After eight decades together on Earth, the moving love story of an Ohio couple continues in heaven. Hours after Hubert Malicote died, his wife June followed him into the afterlife.
Their story began in 1941 when the two met as teenagers in their native Kentucky after a Sunday church service. At the age of 20, just two years after they met, the two got married.
However, the newly married couple were separated for two years because Hubert Malicote was stationed in Hawaii during World War II. When he returned, June Malicote was waiting for him. They moved to Ohio where three children were born. According to People magazine, they later became grandparents of seven grandchildren and great-grandparents of eleven great-grandchildren.
June revealed the secret of her successful marriage to local TV channel WLWT on her birthday in the spring: “We haven’t even had a serious fight in all these years. You don’t hurt the person you love and you always find an agreement.” When they celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary in June, Hubert revealed that he couldn’t imagine life without June: “If we’re not together, our team is broken.”
Died of a broken heart
Until a month ago, the two were in good health for their age. You could even celebrate Thanksgiving with the whole family this year. Shortly afterwards, however, June Malicote became so ill that she fell into a coma. Then she was taken to hospice to die.
“Seeing my mom in this condition really broke my dad. He was taken to the same hospice a day later and was in the same room,” son Sam Malicote, 76, told People.
It was Hubert who was the first to die in his sleep at 9 p.m. on November 30. According to his son, “heartbroken”. June followed him less than 20 hours later. Sam Malicote is sad and happy at the same time: “They had a long, wonderful life together – and are together now.” (lrc)