AN elderly couple who had been married for nearly 70 years died 23 hours apart in a U.S. nursing home.

    Elmer, 93, and Ruth Bihl, 89, had been living in Solaris Healthcare in St. Cloud, Florida for the final years of their lives, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

    Elmer passed away March 1 and his wife’s death followed the next day. Elmer’s family said the grandfather had an unwavering love for his wife and always said he wanted to die with her.

    The nonagenarian’s wish to die at the same time as his spouse nearly came true when Ruth died March 2 at 5:10 a.m. Elmer had died at 6:10 a.m. the previous day.

    “To me, it was just a sign that they were soulmates,” administrator Bob Pate told the paper. “They just had a godly connection.”

    The couple’s romance and death has an uncanny resemblance to the fictional story line of Nicholas Sparks’ book and film, “The Notebook.” The plot follows a couple who falls in love at a young age and die decades later together in a nursing home.

    Ruth had suffered from dementia for nearly 20 years and was paid daily visits by her husband until he was diagnosed with cancer and admitted into the home last year, the paper reported.

    The couple had shared a room at the nursing home in Central Florida.

    “As my dad said, he had to go first because he had to hold the door for her,” said Christine Dudgeon, the Bihl’s granddaughter.

    The husband and wife seemed to have experienced the widowhood effect, or broken heart syndrome. The phenomenon is known to occur in people in long-term relationships who die shortly after another.

    In a notable and recent case in Hollywood, actress Debbie Reynolds, 84, died one day after her daughter Carrie Fischer, 60, after telling her son, “I want to be with Carrie.”

    Elmer and Ruth married Sept. 25, 1948 in Wheelersburg, Ohio and had five children. Elmer managed Andrew Bihl Sons produce farm and Ruth cooked, cleaned, and gardened, the family said. The couple moved to central Florida in 1972 where the husband worked at a water and sewer utility and his wife was the woman’s group treasurer at their church.

    The two grew even closer after Elmer retired when they were rarely ever seen apart, the Sentinel said. After Ruth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her husband took over the domestic duties and cared for her.

    When the grandmother was admitted into the nursing home, Dudgeon said Elmer would visit her for lunch everyday at noon.

    “He doted on her every second of every day until he couldn’t do so anymore,” she said.

    The Bihl’s funeral service was held Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas church in St. Cloud. The couple is survived by their children, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

    (SD-Agencies)