Fort Worth couple married 75 years dies within hours of each other 12:45 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV
jdouglas@wfaa.com A Fort Worth couple married for 75 years were buried Tuesday afternoon, after dying within five hours of one other.

JC Cox, 100, and his wife Josie, 96, were married on Christmas Day in 1932.

"She was telling me they went up to a pastor's door and knocked on the door," said Lesha Grimm, one of the couples granddaughters. "He didn't marry them, so they went to another pastor's house."

They kept their wedding vows for 75 years, through the deaths of their own children, the lives of three new generations and the inevitable changes in each other.

"He was 120 pounds at most, ever," Ms. Grimm said. "She was a fat granny."

While Josie was described as a talker, JC said little.

"He couldn't hear real well and he didn't talk much anyway," said Marla Williamson, another granddaughter. "That was his way of socializing with you was to share Dr Pepper."

The fridge is still loaded with Dr Pepper. The little Fort Worth house unchanged.

"They stayed together the whole time," Ms. Williamson said. "They slept in this bed."

Mrs. Cox insisted on being JCs sole caregiver, even up until the moment they entered a nursing home last month.

"She was still ironing his clothes three weeks ago," Ms. Williamson said. She was going to make sure, even though he never went anywhere, his clothes were going to be starched.

The granddaughters said their intimacy was apparent until the moment they died. A few days ago, Mr. Cox took Mrs. Cox's hand and he slipped away.

"Holding hands, and that's how they died," Ms. Williamson said. "Pa died holding onto Granny."

Just five hours later, she let go too as her family whispered to her.

"Your children are waiting for you, and Pa is waiting for you," Ms. Grimm said. "It's OK. You can let go and we'll all be OK together. And a minute later, she passed."

E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com