"True love isn't Romeo and Juliet who died together. It's grandma and grandpa who grew old together," goes a famous quote on the internet.

Hassanali Remtulla, 91, and Shah-Sultan Remtulla, 85 were testament to this. They got married when Shah-Sultan was just 18, stayed in the marriage for 66 long years, and died hours apart from each other at separate hospitals in British Columbia, Canada, earlier this month, due to COVID-19.

"[My grandmother's] last words to us were 'I love you' via Facetime to all her grandkids," the couple's eldest granddaughter Saliya Remtulla told cbc.ca, the English-language online service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"She would always tell me, ' He wasn't my only pick. I had so many options,' when he annoyed her. But I know, deep down, she had a blessed life," added Saliya.

Shah-Sultan died at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster on Dec 6, while her husband died about an hour later at the Burnaby Hospital.

The couple had three sons and Hassanali, who who lived through three brain tumours and the suicide of one of their sons, ran a successful agricultural business in Tanzania, before emigrating to Canada in the 1990s.

The couple split the last few years between their sons' houses in Vancouver and Toronto.

In late November, Shah-Sultan complained of stomach pain, which was later diagnosed as COVID-19. Her husband also tested positive within days, and lost his sense of smell and struggled with breathing.

Hassanali was admitted to a different hospital which had an ICU (intensive care unit) as the hospital his wife was admitted in was too crowded.

Before breathing her last, Shah-Sultan reportedly had a two-and-a-half hour video call with her family, where they assured her they will hold on to her legacy. She fell asleep after the call and 20 minutes later, she was gone.

When the family headed to the Burnaby Hospital to check on Hassanali, they found out that he too, died not long after their arrival.

"It was as if he knew. He was just a true gentleman, waiting for her and making sure she wasn't alone."

Such a moving story indeed. This is relationship goals. We can be rest assured that the loving couple will reunite in heaven, as how they had lived happily together.


Source: cbc.ca
Photo source: cbc.ca