103-year-old woman in China waits 80 years for missing husband, passes away without remarrying

Woman in China dies after waiting more than 80 years to reunite with husband

A 103-year-old woman in China proved that her love stands the test of time after she spent over 80 years looking and waiting to be reunited with her husband before finally passing away.

According to Guang Ming Daily, Du Huzhen passed away on 8 March with her family vowing to continue her long search for her missing husband.

Source: Guang Ming Daily

Du Huzhen, who was born on 10 March 1921, married her husband Huang Junfu when she was 19.

Soon after they married, Huang joined the national army and left home.

Determined not to let war split them, Du found her husband in 1943 as he was doing his military service. She stayed with him until she fell pregnant and had to return home.

Soon after she gave birth to their son, Huang Fachang in 1944.

According to Du’s granddaughter, Huang returned home a few days later to handle his mother’s funeral.

That was the first and only time Huang would see his own son.

After Huang left, he would never return. Although he sent letters, those too ended in 1952.

Never gave up on her love

Despite the long years of absence, Huang Junfu always had a place in Du Huzhen’s heart.

In fact, she turned down multiple suitors and proposals of marriage.

“What if he returns someday?” she would say.

In one letter Huang wrote her, he told her to raise their son well and to prioritise his education. That’s exactly what Du did.

Their son Fachang competed against 1,000 other applicants and succeeded in becoming a teacher.

Despite living a harsh life where she worked the fields during the day and wove clothes at night, Du was always optimistic.

“She told my father and us siblings to study hard and to make contributions to the country and the society when growing up,” her granddaughter recalled.

Until her last breath, she never forgot her love for Huang.

“He promised to come back, and I waited until the last moment,” she once said.

Source: Guang Ming Daily

In her final days, Du often spent time stroking old letters and items her husband left behind, saying that they’ll meet again soon.

Husband settled in Southeast Asia

However, Du did not sit idly for her husband to return home.

Her descendants assisted her in her search for her missing husband.

Documents showed Huang settling in Malaysia in 1950 before moving to Singapore years later. After that, the authorities no longer had information on his whereabouts.

Her grandson had tried to find him through the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily in 2019, but that turned up no leads either.

In her obituary, Du Huzhen’s remaining family vowed to continue the search for her missing husband.