Couple married for 65 years passes away within hours of each other

(GREENSBURG, In.) -- A Greensburg couple who were inseparable for more than six decades departed the world just hours apart from each other last week.

The love journey between Ernie and Marcella Stephens began in the 1950’s and they were married on June 25, 1961. 

Ernie was a Navy veteran who worked at Bohn Aluminum for more than 40 years before retiring. 

Marcella, affectionately known as Marcie, worked at Gambles and Delta Faucet for many years before she retired as well. 

They had three sons, Ernie Jr., Eric and Erin, and over the years the family has grown to also include six grandchildren and four great-grandsons. 

“For 65 beautiful years, they shared a life built on love, commitment, and family,” their family said.

About a decade ago, Marcella developed Alzheimer’s and Ernie cared for her until he was no longer able to do so on his own. 

For the past three years, she had been living at Morning Breeze Retirement Community in Greensburg where Ernie would visit every day to spend time with her.

Ernie was still driving just a month ago. However, his health began to worsen and it caused him to be hospitalized at Decatur County Memorial Hospital. 

“We were expecting him to come back home, however, things just kind of progressed and there was a downward spiral over the past few weeks,” said his son, Eric.

Last week, a DCMH doctor suggested that the family have Ernie transferred to Morning Breeze due to his deteriorating condition. 

He arrived at the nursing home on Wednesday afternoon and the Morning Breeze staff provided a room where Ernie and Marcella could be together. 

“They had mom and dad’s beds right beside one another where they could see each other’s faces. They held hands and got to spend Wednesday night together,” Eric said. 

At 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the family received a call they weren’t expecting to get so soon. Ernie had passed away. 

The family all rushed to the nursing home immediately after receiving the news. 

While the family was inside that nursing home room, Marcella took her last breath around 8:58 a.m. Thursday. 

It’s been an extremely difficult time for the family who are grieving the loss of both parents and grandparents at the same time, however, they take comfort in knowing this is what Ernie and Marcella always wanted. 

“I remember them always saying that they wanted to leave this earth together and I know neither of them wanted to be alive without the other one here,” Eric said. 

Eric added that his father always used to call his mom “Babe.” 

“Dad left this earth first and I imagine he came back and said, ‘Babe, c’mon, it’s time to go’ and they left together,”  Eric said. 

One Funeral Service 

Their obituary reads, “In their final moments, they were able to leave this world peacefully, lying side by side, just as they had always wanted.”

Ernie passed away at the age of 93 and Marcie was 88. 

Their funeral service will be held at Porter-Oliger-Pearson Funeral Home at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, and it will be followed by military honors.  

A public visitation will immediately follow the funeral service and will take place from 3-6 p.m. at the funeral home. 

Porter-Oliger-Pearson Funeral Home is located at 302 North Franklin Street in Greensburg 

More to the Story:

The family is praising the staff at both Decatur County Memorial Hospital as well as Morning Breeze Retirement Center. 

Eric said DCMH Dr. Jennifer Fletcher was the one who made the determination to transfer Ernie to the nursing home to be with Marcella. 

“They were going to do more tests but it was Dr. Fletcher who made the order and said that he’s only got days to live and he needs to get to the nursing home to be with his wife now,” Eric said. 

The loss of Ernie and Marcella wasn’t just felt by the family, it also had a major impact on the staff at Morning Breeze Retirement Community.

The nursing home not only cared for Marcella for three years, they also got to know Ernie because he visited everyday. 

It was the nursing home who made the accommodations to have Ernie and Marcella in the same room together, before anyone knew they would pass so soon. 

“The staff members who came into the room after both my parents had passed were just bawling and you could tell they really loved my mom and dad too. They really made their last day together really nice for them,” Eric said.