Husband serenades wife of 73 years as she lies on her deathbed
Howard, from Sarasota in Florida, sang "You'll Never Know" which his wife sang to him as he left to fight in the Second World War
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A video has emerged of a man serenading his wife of 73 years on her deathbed with a song she sang to him as he went fight in the Second World War.
Howard, 92, from Sarasota in Florida, sang “You’ll Never Know” to Laura, 93, as she lay in her hospice bed in a touching video recorded by their granddaughter, Erin Solari.
The song, a popular love song first written for the movie Hello, Frisco, Hello in 1943, is particularly poignant for the couple as Laura would sing the song to him, and to herself for comfort, during the war.
They later performed it as a duet when they renewed their vows on their 50th wedding anniversary.
Laura, who has macular degeneration and can no longer see, heard Howard enter the room and asked if she could hold him as he sang to her.
Ms Solari wrote: “Laura (Grandma) is at a hospice facility making peace with her final days. I was lucky enough to capture this precious, heart-melting moment between the two of them.
“Howard (Grandpa) is singing to her their love song, the song that comforted her when he went away to fight in World War II.
“At family gatherings, it was not uncommon for the two of them to sing this song together, each taking a verse and serenading the other.”
She said the response to the video, which was first posted on Facebook, was an “outpouring of love [which] lifted everyone's spirits” and eventually convinced the hospice staff that she was well enough to go home to spend her final days with her husband.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments