A grieving OAP, who told his family ‘I’ll not be long behind her’ after his partner of 36 years passed away, died just eight days later.
Relatives of John King, 71, believe he died from a ‘broken heart’ following the death of his partner, Rosalind Lewis.
Tragically Rosalind, 71, died just hours before the couple were due to get married.
Mr King had told his family after Rosalind died: “I’ll not be long behind her – she is my soul mate.”
Rosalind had rekindled her relationship with childhood sweetheart John in her 30s and he helped bring up her daughters Julie, 53, Mary, 51, and Rosalind, 50, from a previous relationship.
She died on January 25 – just hours after finally agreeing to marry John who had asked her throughout their time together.
Her eldest daughter, Julie Lewis said the loss of the couple was a “shock” and the family was “not expecting it.”
She said: “He kept asking her to marry him she always said no and he asked her in the hospital and she said yes.
“So John said he would get a priest and they would get married the next morning.
“She died in the early hours of the following morning.
“It has been really hard on the family, we have had no time to think or grieve properly yet.”
Rosalind, who worked in a snooker club until last year, tragically passed away at Kings Mill Hospital in Mansfield, Notts., from complications of the flu.
Just eight days later on February 2, John, who was a retired steelworks worker, died at their home in Worksop, Notts.
Julie and her sisters called John dad.
She said: “He was really upset when mum passed, but when a doctor came out and visited him he perked up.
“He told himself ‘I need to pull my socks up’.
“After mum’s death certificate came through he took a turn for the worse.
“When we got the post-mortem through it said he died from acute pneumonia, but to us, he died of a broken heart.”
Julie said the couple adored each other and lived very happy lives together.
She added: “They were both lovely and loud.
“They enjoyed going to their caravan in Skegness and having fish and chips.
“Mum only stopped working in a bar last year aged 70.
“They use to call her ‘planes, trains and automobiles’.
“She would never miss a day come rain, snow, anything, she loved it.
“Our only comfort is they are still together after all this time.”
The couple, who had known each other since childhood and went to the same school, rekindled their relationship in their 30’s.
Julie and her partner took Rosalind to a disco where she spotted John across the room again.
Rosalind had 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
They loved BBC’s Mrs Brown’s Boys which they would watch on repeat.
John loved fishing and Julie remembers her and her sister sunbathing on the garden and dropping maggots on them.
She said: “He thought it was funny we didn’t, but we laugh about it now.”
The family plan to spread the ashes together when there is a nice day.
