Elderly Yuma Couple Dies Within Days of Each Other

YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — After being married for 59 years, longtime Yumans Barbara and Lawrence "Buddy" Rolfe died within a day and a half of each other.

Family members say that Buddy, unconscious and on life support, sensed the loss of his wife and died of a broken heart.

Barbara, 74, and Buddy, 82, ended up in the hospital at the same time. Buddy suffered from Parkinson's disease and a heart condition. He was admitted into intensive care with pneumonia right before Christmas.

Although suffering from advanced Alzheimer's, Barbara never forgot her beloved husband. At home, she refused to eat and kept asking for him.

"She begged my sister to let her see him. She thought we were keeping her from my dad," daughter Mary Nelson said.

Barbara, stricken with osteoporosis, fell and broke her thigh bone three years ago. Doctors told the family she would live only six months, but she ended up surviving for three years.

Mary and her sisters took care of their parents in their own home, with two hospital beds set up in the living room.

"Dad would always say, 'Take care of your mother first.' Mom would say, 'Daddy, daddy.' She called him daddy," Nelson recalled.

Earlier this month, Barbara's health deteriorated and she was admitted to Yuma Regional Medical Center as well.

"My mom was confused, but she always remembered my dad. She kept asking for him," Nelson said.

At the family's urging, hospital staff allowed the couple to share a room. When Barbara spotted Buddy, she exclaimed, "Daddy!" and reached for his hand, a big smile on her face. The family snapped photos of them holding hands.

"When she saw him, she lifted her head up and smiled. I hadn't seen her smile like that in the longest time," daughter Bertha Martinez said.

The Rolfes were transferred to La Mesa Rehabilitation and Care Center, but the family took them home within two days.

"Mom was sicker. We knew she would pass pretty quickly," Nelson said, adding, "Up to her last breath, she wanted my dad."

Barbara died Jan. 12 at 2 a.m., and Buddy died Jan. 14 at almost 7 a.m. They died on the same bed, surrounded by family.

"My niece said they wouldn't let death keep them apart," Nelson said. "Dad always took care of Mom first, and she did the same."

Barbara and Buddy's love story began in 1952. She was 15, he was 21. They lived in Oklahoma.

"My mother said they first met at the movies," Nelson said. "He had chocolate on his face, and she thought to herself, 'What a mess!'"

Despite the "messy" start, they started dating and quickly got married. They had eight children.

Buddy was a farmworker, and Barbara stayed home with the kids, two of which were mentally disabled.

"We didn't have money growing up, but they always put the kids first. They always talked about the good old days," Nelson said.

Barbara is remembered for her great compassion for people and animals. "She didn't like to see suffering," Nelson said.

Buddy didn't hesitate to help someone in need. "He always gave the shirt off his back."

The Rolfes moved to Yuma, where Buddy's brother lived, in 1963, and he continued to farm.

They had 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

"They were of very humble means. They didn't have anything, but they had lots of love," said Lia Tews, an extended family member.

The family held a double funeral and graveside services Jan. 19 at Sunset Vista Cemetery.