Mzee Sam Handelaar akiwa na mkewe CarrieAn 85-year-old war hero died 'of a broken heart' just a day after his wife of 60 years lost her battle with cancer.
Sam Handelaar, who drove a tank on to the Normandy beaches on D-Day, had been completely healthy before his heart stopped 24 hours after wife Carrie died.
The loving couple, from Basildon in Essex, will be buried side by side.
'They were devoted to each other,' said John Handelaar, the eldest of their three sons.
'My father had been quite fit and healthy before my mum passed away, but his heart just stopped.'
'My father had been quite fit and healthy before my mum passed away, but his heart just stopped.'
Elderly Mr Handelaar had still been driving or walking to visit his wife, also 85, in Basildon Hospital two or three times a week up until her death.
They first moved from London to Essex as young lovers more than half a century ago in 1958 - and celebrated their diamond wedding just this year.
They raised three sons John, 56, Kevan, 54, and Michael, 47, in a house in Codenham Green, Basildon, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Son John added: 'They both loved sport and my mum probably knew more about tennis, rugby, football, cricket and golf than almost any bloke.
'She always had a bet on a Saturday on the horses with my younger brother Michael. She didn’t win much but she loved it.
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