The distraught husband suffered a heart attack while performing CPR on his wife, who was believed to have already died.
A long-married North Carolina couple died suddenly after the man suffered a heart attack trying to revive his wife, who he found unresponsive, according to reports.
Johnny Hatley, 67, found his wife, 66-year-old Teresa Hatley, on the floor of their Stanly County home on Sunday morning, family members told the Stanly News & Press.
The distraught husband began performing CPR on his wife, who was believed to have already died.
First responders reportedly told the family that Johnny experienced a heart attack as he tried to save his wife of 31 years.
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“Obviously, he could not live without her,” their daughter, Lisa Hammill, told the newspaper.
Their other daughter, Shelly Palmer, said: “Lisa and I are at peace knowing, without a doubt, that our parents are together in heaven.”
The beloved couple were remembered as generous and caring pillars of the New London community, where they owned and operated Fast Stop Food Stores.
“I can’t imagine New London without them both,” mourner Lori Stiller wrote on Johnny’s memorial page.
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“I just can’t believe New London lost such a great couple on the same day. We will forever be grateful for what your parents have done for our town,” she posted on Teresa’s page. “Their legacy will live on in all our hearts.”
In addition to their two daughters, the couple was survived by their son, David, whom they cared for, four grandchildren, their sisters and many nieces and nephews, their obituaries read.
The Hatleys will have a joint funeral at 11 a.m. Thursday at Highland Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family wished that memorials be made to the David Hatley Fund at Bank of North Carolina, PO Box 489 in Albemarle, North Carolina, 28002 to help care for their son.
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