生死相依 英夫婦相守65載同日離世

He was a dashing D-Day veteran and she a blushing bride in white when they vowed to love each other in sickness and in health.
彼時，他是一名二戰的退伍兵，而她是一位美麗害羞的少女，他們一起許下承諾：無論生老病死、相互陪伴一生。

For 65 years Harry and Mavis Stevenson stayed true to that promise, and when she died just 48 hours after her 89th birthday, he could not bear to be without her.
此時，他們兩人始終遵守承諾、不離不棄，已經攜手走過了65年。她過完89歲生日的48個小時之後離開了人世，而他怎能忍受沒有她的生活呢？

Yesterday their nephew Stephen Cresswell told how 88-year-old Mr Stevenson died within minutes of his beloved wife after they spent their last night holding hands while they slept in a care home.
兩人的侄子斯蒂芬·克雷斯韋爾向我們講述了斯蒂文森夫婦哈利·斯蒂文森和梅維斯·斯蒂文森之間平凡而感人的愛情，以及斯蒂文森先生在妻子離世後隨她而去時的情景。

He said: ‘The staff told Harry very gently that she had passed away and said he shed two or three tears. Then they tended to Mavis and the next time they looked over at Harry, he was gone.
斯蒂芬說：“當護理中心的工作人員非常婉轉地告訴哈利‘梅維斯去世了’的時候他只掉了幾滴眼淚。之後當工作人員就去料理梅維斯的後事，而當他們再次看到哈利的時候，他也已經離開這個世界了。”

‘It was less than ten minutes later. He was lying next to her in a separate bed at the time. They shared a room in the home and the staff had pushed the beds together the night before.
“這前後還不到十分鐘的時間。當時他躺在她旁邊的一張牀上。他倆之前住在一個屋子裏，所以工作人員把兩人的牀推到了一起。”

‘They told me he was holding her hand all that final night.’
“工作人員稱在最後的這整整一個晚上他都握着她的手。”

He added: ‘Although it is incredibly sad it is also incredibly wonderful that right until the very end they were together and neither of them had to be alone. Their love lasted and they were devoted to each other. I can imagine them being together now, after their death, side by side.’
斯蒂芬說：“這聽起來非常傷感，但也不得不說這其實也非常美滿，因爲他們直到生命的盡頭也依然沒有分開，兩人都未曾丟下過對方。他們彼此深愛，從始至終。我能想象到現在他們雖然已經離開這個世界，但依然在一起的樣子。”

The couple from Derby refused to be separated throughout their life. When Mrs Stevenson’s health deteriorated, her husband insisted on moving into the care home as well so he could be with her.
這對德比郡的夫婦一生都未曾與對方分開過。當梅維斯的健康狀況惡化時，哈利堅持要和她一起搬到護理中心，以便能和她在一起。

Mr Cresswell, 53, said that Mr Stevenson was in better health than his wife and relatives were not expecting his death on November 3.
今年53歲的斯蒂芬說，哈利比梅維斯的身體要好，親戚們都沒想到他會在11月3日去世。

The couple met at a social club aged 16 and began courting before Harry signed up to fight in the Second World War on his 17th birthday in 1943. He became a Royal Marine Commando and took part in the D-Day Normandy landings.
哈利和梅維斯16歲的時候在一個俱樂部裏相遇，並迅速墜入愛河。1943年17歲的哈利入伍參加二戰，成爲皇家海軍突擊隊中的一員，並參與了著名的諾曼底登陸戰役。

Later he was transferred to the Far East to fight the Japanese. But wherever he was he wrote to his sweetheart – even after he was shot in the hand.
之後他又被派往遠東參與同日本的作戰。但是無論他到那裏，他都堅持寫信給他心愛的梅維斯，即使是在戰場上手臂中彈的時候。

In one letter he said: ‘I am glad to know that you are still in love with me. I know you are, Mavis, and you should know that I am very much in love with you.’ Other letters found by Mr Creswell show that Mr Stevenson sometimes wrote to her twice a day – in the morning and in the afternoon.
他曾在一封信中寫道：“我非常高興，你依然愛着我。我知道的，梅維斯，你也要相信我也非常非常愛你。”從斯蒂芬拿出的這些信件中可以看到，哈利有時會在一天之內寫兩封信給梅維斯，上午寫一封，下午寫一封。

Mr Cresswell believes the couple’s bond was so strong because they were separated during the war and did not want to ever be parted again.
斯蒂芬認爲斯蒂文森夫婦的感情相當好，因爲即使因戰爭而分離他們也從未想過離開對方。

They married in 1949 and Mr Stevenson found a job as a joiner. He carried on working even after his hand was amputated as a result of lasting damage from his war injuries.
兩人於1949年結婚。哈利成爲了一名木匠，即使他的一隻手因爲戰爭中受傷而被截肢，他也依然堅持繼續工作。

After retiring, he volunteered as a cricket groundsman and umpire and continued to run half-marathons well into his 60s.
退休之後，哈利當了一名板球球場的志願管理員和裁判員，而且在六十多歲的時候仍堅持跑半程馬拉松。

Although the couple never had any children, they lavished love on their extended family and were renowned for their Boxing Day lunches.
雖然兩人沒有子女，但他們把愛給與他們的親戚，並一直爲家人們做節禮日午餐。

Mr Cresswell said: ‘They wanted to be together. There was no way of separating them. They were as close as any couple I have known. They never had a serious argument and were soulmates.’
斯蒂芬說：“他們希望彼此廝守在一起。沒有任何事情能把他們分開。他們和我所認識的所有夫婦一樣親密相愛。他們從沒激烈爭吵過，他們是靈魂伴侶。”

The couple’s joint funeral is due to take place on Thursday.
斯蒂文森夫婦的葬禮將於本週四舉行。