June and Hubert Malicote were a devoted couple who had been married for 79 years. They both passed away within hours of each other after Hubert’s health deteriorated due to the emotional strain of watching his wife’s health decline.
They had three children, seven grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. They had survived the Great Depression and the Covid-19 pandemic together. Hubert shared that they never got into serious arguments and that if there was controversy, they would walk away for a few minutes and then come back and change the subject or work it out.
After almost eight decades of marriage, an elderly couple from Ohio, June and Hubert Malicote, both aged 100, passed away within hours of each other last week. Their son Sam, 76, said his mother became gravely ill the day after Thanksgiving and was placed in end of life care at Hospice of Hamilton in Ohio. Hubert, who was emotionally affected by his wife’s deteriorating health, was admitted to the same care centre soon after.
The couple were together until the very end, sharing a room in the hospice where they remained unconscious for five days. Hubert died on 30 November at around 9pm and June passed away around 20 hours later, on 1 December at around 6pm. Sam believes his father’s death was caused by a ‘broken heart’.
June and Hubert had met at a church service in 1941 and married one year later when Hubert was at home on leave from the US Navy. They settled in Hamilton, Ohio where Hubert began working at the financial and retail technology company Diebold Inc while June was a stay-at-home mum. They were the proud parents of three children who have then seven grandchildren and 11-great-grandchildren.
When they celebrated their milestone 79th wedding anniversary in June, the couple spoke with Today Parents to share how they managed to make their relationship last. Hubert said they never got into a serious argument but acknowledged that life does have its problems sometimes. He said he couldn’t imagine living life without June, with whom he survived everything from the Great Depression to the Covid-19 pandemic.
