生死相隨 美百歲夫婦2天內相繼離世

Helen and Joe Auer have been inseparable for seven decades, and even death proved no match for their unbreakable, one-in-a-million bond.
海倫·奧爾和喬·奧爾攜手走過七十多年從未分開過，連死神都沒能把這對生死相伴的伴侶分開。

Helen Auer, from Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away peacefully at home last Wednesday at age 94.
妻子海倫來自美國俄亥俄州的辛辛那提市，上週三在家中去世，享年94歲。

On the night of her death, Joe entered her room, gave her one final kiss goodbye and whispered to her, 'Helen, call me home.'
海倫去世的當天晚上，丈夫喬走進她的房間，給了她最後的道別之吻並輕聲對她說：“海倫，喊我一起回家。”

And just 28 hours later, Helen did call him to her.
28小時候之後，海倫的確喊喬一起“回家”了。

Joe Auer died last Friday, five months after celebrating his 100th birthday. The couple's nine surviving children knew their dad could not make it without their mom for more than a night, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer.
喬·奧爾於上週五去世，五個月之前他度過了100歲的生日。奧爾夫婦的孩子們都知道，他們的父親無法離開母親，連一個晚上都不行。

The Auers married at St. Lawrence Church in Cincinnati in 1941.
海倫和喬1941年在辛辛那提市的聖勞倫斯教堂喜結連理。

On Wednesday, the couple who survived the Great Depression, lived through World War II, raised 10 children and witnessed the births of their 16 grandchildren, 29 great-grandkids and one great-great grandchild, will be back in front of the same alter where they had exchanged their vows 73 years earlier, only this time for a funeral Mass.
奧爾夫婦都是生長在美國經濟大蕭條時期，兩人一同經歷了二戰，養育有10個孩子，有16個孫輩，29個重孫輩和1個重重孫輩，本週三奧爾夫婦將重回到到兩人73年前許下誓言的地方，只是這次是來舉辦葬禮。

Helen Auer, had her first baby, Barry, soon after the wedding and was pregnant with their second child, Judy, by the time Joe shipped out to fight the Nazis in faraway Europe.
海倫結婚後不久生下了第一個孩子巴里，之後又懷了第二個孩子朱迪，此時喬正在去遙遠的歐洲戰場抵抗納粹的路上。

Eager to have Joe see their new baby, Helen sent him a photo of herself with their two young children.
喬非常想見孩子，於是海倫寄了一張她自己和兩個孩子的照片給喬。

Joe Auer had that precious black-and-white picture tucked in his pocket when he landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, and it did not leave his side for the remainder of the war - and for the rest of his life.
在預定日期登錄猶他海灘之後，喬把這張珍貴的黑白照片放在衣服口袋裏，從此以後這張照片就沒再離開過他。

Jerry Auer, the couple's 10th and final child, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the threadbare, yellowed photograph was still in his father's wallet when he drew his last breath last week.
奧爾夫婦的第十個孩子傑瑞·奧爾說直到上週父親去世這張陳舊的、發黃的照片還放在父親的錢包裏。

Helen Auer was described by her children as the outgoing and spirited one in the family - a woman who loved keeping busy and spending time with loved ones.
海倫的孩子們稱海倫在家裏很有活力、很外向友好，她總是忙忙碌碌的，把所有時間都花在她愛的人身上。

By contrast, their daughter Mary Joe Reiners described her father as a stern and serious man – the disciplinarian in the family - who was guided by his Christian faith and his profound sense of responsibility.
而他們的女兒瑪麗稱父親是一個嚴厲、嚴謹的人，是家裏的紀律執行者，這種性格與他的基督教信仰還有責任心有關。

After serving his country in Europe for three years during the war, Auer returned home to Helen and found work as an engraver.
在歐洲戰場上服役三年之後，奧爾返回了家裏，做起了一份雕刻師的工作。

With their family growing from one year to the next money was always tight but the Auers, frugal, humble and hardworking, always managed somehow.
隨着家庭成員不斷的增加，家裏的開支也越來越大，但節儉、謙遜、努力的奧爾夫婦把這個大家庭打理得井井有條。

After sending off their youngest child to third grade, Helen joined the workforce to help Joe out.
最小的孩子上三年級之後，海倫也開始工作，和喬一起養家。

In photos of Helen and Joe shared by their family on the website of Meyer Funeral Home, the two appear deeply in love, dancing at family celebrations, posing side by side for pictures, or kissing on the couch like a pair of love-sick teens.
通過家人上傳的奧爾夫婦的照片上，可以看出兩人非常相愛。照片上，兩人在家庭聚會上一起跳舞、爲拍照擺各種造型，或是像孩子一樣在沙發上接吻。

'They were simple, humble people. They wanted nothing and got everything in return,' Jerry Auer, 52, told the paper of his late parents.
“他們都是很簡單、謙遜的人。他們無慾無求，卻得到了所有。”52歲的傑瑞說。