When you’ve spent most of your life with someone, it can be extremely difficult to let them go when they pass away.
This is perhaps why couples dying within hours of each other is not unheard of.
Recently, an 80-year-old woman in Singapore had to say goodbye to her beloved husband when he succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 92.
The loss was apparently too great for her to bear, and she passed away the same day her husband was cremated.
This happened on 22 Aug, which was Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Shin Min Daily News shared the heart-wrenching tale on Thursday (31 Aug).
They spoke to the couple’s youngest daughter, 48-year-old teacher Ms Lin, who shared more about their life and love story.
According to Ms Lin, her father, Lin Lai Tian (transliterated from Mandarin), came to Singapore from Fujian, China as a young man.
He then met Li Mei Ling (transliterated from Mandarin), who was local, through a friend, and it was love at first sight.
They got married in 1964 when Mr Lin was 32 years old and Madam Li was just 20.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Their 12-year age gap did not pose any problems for their relationship. In fact, it made Mr Lin dote on Madam Li even more.
In addition to working hard to support the family, Mr Lin would also help his wife with the house chores.
As a fishmonger, he would wake up at 2am or 3am to start work while Madam Li managed the household.
Still, not wanting to tire his wife out too much, Mr Lin insisted on washing his own clothes after returning home from work.
When Madam Li was in confinement after giving birth to each of their five children, Mr Lin did his best to stay by her side and take good care of her.
“He was a very good husband,” Ms Lin said of her father.
On 17 Aug this year, Mr Lin was hospitalised due to an accumulation of fluid in his lungs.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away the very next day.
At that time, Madam Li was also receiving treatment in the hospital for her own health issues.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Mr Lin’s body was cremated at 11am on 22 Aug.
At about 12pm, the family received word that Madam Li was in a critically ill condition. She passed away in the hospital at around 2pm — three hours after her husband’s cremation.
Ms Lin pointed out that it happened to be Chinese Valentine’s Day, saying that it was as if her mother had some sort of a ‘connection’ with her father.
On the day of Mr Lin’s funeral, he was in the exact same suit that he wore on his wedding day.
He had apparently expressed his wish to be buried in that outfit several years ago.
“My father treasured that suit for many years and even took it for dry-cleaning,” Ms Lin shared. “It remained as good as new and fit him perfectly when we put it on for him.”
The ashes of Mr Lin and Madam Li will be kept in the same place so they can still be together in the afterlife.
Our deepest condolences to the family of the couple for their loss. May Mr Lin and Madam Li rest in peace and in love.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Shin Min Daily News.
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