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A husband and wife who eloped in 1942 and were married for more than seven decades died hours apart this week at a hospice in northern Illinois.
Family members say Robert and Nora Viands were inseparable during their marriage, which included three separate wedding ceremonies. Together, they raised five children.
“They were really never apart,” said one of their daughters, Barb Milton. “They would hold hands in the dining room.”
The two lived together in their home until moving to a Rockford retirement center earlier this year as their health deteriorated.
Robert Viands, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, was 92 when he died around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Nora Viands, 88, died at 4:45 p.m. She’d been hospitalized with pneumonia in December.
Milton said that whenever the couple would go anywhere throughout their marriage, when their father decided it was time to leave he would tell his wife and be out the door. Robert would wait in the car while Nora would linger, saying her goodbyes.
“We joked (after Nora died) that he was tugging on her, saying `Come on Nora,’ and she said `No, I have to say goodbye to the kids,'” Milton said. Continue reading
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