«Till death do us part» is a traditional wedding vow that represents the oneness and dedication of marriage. This sentence described a couple’s life and death, revealing to the world that certain love stories are eternal.Dolores and Trent Winstead were not your normal Nashville, Tennessee couple. The two lovebirds were brought together by a quirk of fate, and they couldn’t stand being apart.

The couple originally met in Dickson County in the 1950s and instantly clicked. During the Korean War, Trent and his sweetheart exchanged love letters. Trent stated in one of their heated exchanges:

«I’m overjoyed to hear from her [Dolores] (sic).»

When Trent returned from the war, he made an unplanned bathroom proposal to Dolores. Their son, Eddie Winstead, said that his father proposed to Dolores while she was brushing her teeth so she wouldn’t reject it.

The couple married soon after and spent their golden years in West Nashville. Trent preferred being by the lake, whilst Dolores preferred piling recipes on her shelves.

Eddie and Sheryl acknowledged their pain at losing both of their parents, but their true-life love story blew them away.

Their daughter, Sheryl Winstead, said that her parents’ opposing characteristics pulled them together. Trent fell ill abruptly in early December of 2016. According to the doctors, his kidneys were failing and he needed to be stabilized.

Dolores, 83, remained by her 88-year-old husband’s side until she began experiencing severe headaches. Eddie recalled his mother having a stroke and ending up in the same hospital room.

Unfortunately, Eddie and Sheryl were advised by Saint Thomas West Hospital staff in Nashville that Dolores would not survive. As a result, they decided to let her go naturally, but they were terrified of telling Trent the terrible news.

«When we told our dad that Mom wasn’t going to make it, he, in our judgment, really grieved himself to death,» Sheryl said.

The medical staff moved the couple’s beds closer together so they could spend their final moments together. Trent, according to Sheryl, held Dolores’ hand till her death. Eddie remembers, filled with emotion:

«I had to crouch next to him and tell him, ‘Dad, Mom has passed.’» It’s as if his entire spirit has changed. ‘Dad, if you want to go be with Mom, that’s alright with Sheryl and me,’ I informed him.

Trent died late that afternoon the next day after Dolores died in the evening of December 9. The couple have been married for more than 63 years and were ready to mark their 64th wedding anniversary on January 17, 2017.

Eddie and Sheryl expressed their grief over their parents’ deaths, but were blown away by their true-life love story. They spent Christmas 2016 honoring their parents through old photographs and heartfelt memories. Sheryl also mentioned:

«It’s as if God planned their trip and they went together; it’s just incredibly sweet.»

Dolores and Trent’s love was surely immortalized by their living and dying together. A 77-year-old couple died hours apart and were buried in the same casket in another incident identical to this one. The full story is available here.