An elderly couple who were married for 67 years have died just 41 hours apart. The family of Geoff and Gerrie Gradus said they could not live without each other.
The Couple's Final Days
Geoff, aged 89, had been suffering from frailty and died at home surrounded by loved ones. Gerrie, aged 86, died suddenly less than two days later. Their youngest daughter, Ruth, believes her mother could not cope with life without her husband.
"Everyone says that they have never met a couple so in love," Ruth said. "They were always holding hands. My dad was always giving mum a kiss. They were really sweet together."
She added: "The minute my dad went into a hospital bed in the spare room, which was four days before he died, I think her body just started giving up. I think she would never have survived without him."
A Life Together
The couple met while Gerrie was on holiday in Cliftonville at age 17, and she married Geoff three years later. Their marriage began with heartbreak as they lost their first two babies, twins, at birth. They went on to have four more children and became known in Thanet's Jewish community for their shop G's Stores, which Geoff's parents had previously run. The grocer's, butcher's and delicatessen was loved in Cliftonville for its doughnuts and cheesecake.
With the rise of supermarkets in the 1980s, they had to sell the store. The couple then bought and ran Wychdene Residential Home in Broadstairs. Ruth said: "They were really caring. They were very much involved, hands-on. They used to take the residents out for trips and have people come in and do shows for them."
Community Pillars
"They did everything together, literally to the end," Ruth said. "They used to play a lot of bridge; they did bowls. They always were very much involved in the committees of all of these places."
Her grandfather was president of Margate Synagogue, and then her father took over when he died. "He and my mum used to do lots of fundraising for the synagogue and quizzes. They used to do loads of catering and events, and no one would leave anything without a full belly, which I think is a Jewish thing."
"You could not really go anywhere without people stopping and talking to them, which was lovely. They were much-loved and deeply respected members of the community."
Ruth added: "They will always be remembered as a couple who gave so much to their community, and who remained side by side until the very end."
The couple have been buried together in a joint service at Margate Jewish Cemetery.
