The Real Life Notebook

They were lovers of 75 years and they have fulfilled their final wish to die in each other's arms after they passed away clutching hands. They passed away within hours of each other, in their bed after she whispered 'wait for me, I'll be there soon' 

Jeanette Toczko, 96, and her 95-year-old husband, Alexander Toczko, from San Diego, California, spent their lives in love after becoming boyfriend and girlfriend when they were only eight years old. They married in 1940 and have been together ever since. 

Several weeks ago, Mr Toczko suffered a broken hip in a fall and was left bed-bound. A local hospice delivered a special bed to his home, which staff pushed up next to his beloved wife's bed.

As Mr Toczko's condition quickly declined, Mrs Toczko's own health took a turn for the worse. The couple had always said they wished to die 'in their own bed, holding hands, in each other's arms'.