Máire and Gerry Ryan from Tipperary, Ireland met at just 17 and loved each other until the day they died, aged 93.
The couple moved into the same nursing home after Máire was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Gerry’s health declined.
They requested their beds be moved closer together so they could hold hands while saying their final goodbye.
Sarrita, who cared for the couple at the Curragh Lawn Nursing Home in Co Kildare, said: Gerry used to hold Máire’s hand all the time and remind her about the years gone past times and their life.
‘I am in the nursing home 13 years and we never saw anything like them. He was so dedicated to her.’
Gerry looked after his wife for years until his arthritis got so severe he struggled to walk. The eight-decade love story has been compared to The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
Just like the film’s heartbreaking final scene, the Ryan’s passed away on the same day. Máire died at 3.45am and Gerry passed away hours later at 5.20pm on February 19.
Máire had worked as a high school teacher, while Gerry worked in the military before completing a PhD with his wife’s help.
Speaking to RSVPlive about their death, Saritta said: ‘We knew they wouldn’t want to be without each other, so it was lovely for them. I have never seen love like it.’
This article originally appeared on New Idea.
