Married Nearly 62 Years, Couple Dies 4 Hours Apart

BAKERSFIELD (AP) — After nearly 62 years of marriage, little separated Don and Maxine Simpson — not even death.

The Bakersfield couple died just four hours apart in July, spending their last moments side by side. He was 90 and she was 87.

Granddaughter Melissa Sloan tells The Bakersfield Californian that her grandmother died first, and when her body was taken away, Don Simpson's soul left with her.

The couple met at a Bakersfield bowling alley and married in 1952. A civil engineer, Don at one point worked for the U.S. Army in Germany.

The couple adopted twin boys from a German orphanage and returned to Bakersfield, where she worked as a nurse and he owned his own engineering company.

The couple was active with local civic groups. They are survived by one son and five grandchildren.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)