A real life love story

An American couple who had been married for 72 years, died one hour apart last week in hospital as they held hands. The story of Iowa natives Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, seems a real-life love story.

Their son Dennis Yeager said "They're very old-fashioned. They believed in marriage till death do you part, they just loved being together ”. Dennis describes how the couple left home to go into town, but didn't make it. At a highway intersection they crashed their car into another. Apparently in the intensive care unit, the nurses knew not to separate Gordon and Norma.

Gordon died at 3:38 pm still holding hands with his wife while their family looked on.

"Neither one of them would've wanted to be without each other. I couldn't figure out how it was going to work," said a family member. "We were very blessed, honestly, that they went this way."

At their funeral service, Norma and Gordon continued to hold hands in their casket. They were to be cremated and their ashes mixed together.

The inseparable couple got engaged and married within 12 hours on May 26, 1939 - the same day Norma Yeager graduated from high school.

A family member said "All their life has been together, so, when it came to the funeral home, we asked, 'Can we have them put in the casket together holding hands?' Because that's the way their life was."

Short and sweet

I love this film and I think the storyline is so special. This video is a quick glimpse of life with Carl and Ellie from the Disney/Pixar film Up.

No matter what age we die, life can seem too short so enjoy every moment of it with the ones you love.

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Think Ahead Project 2011

QR codes for the dead

Imagine a trip to a cemetery to visit a loved one’s grave and en route you gaze at names and dates that mean absolutely nothing to you. Imagine if instead you could quickly scan a code and be immersed in to the life of the person below with highlights and some interactive media. Added to people that died in wars or long ago could be a valuable way for teaching new generations about wars or other ways in which people used to die that have long been forgotten.
This QR code belongs to a Yoav Medan of Israel, whose mother Judith passed away in June.  Scanning the QR code leads visitors to a tribute website that Medan setup and plans to evolve with stories and photos from his mother’s life.  Over time, Medan hopes the QR code and memorial site will help create a lasting history of his mother that will live on for generations. “I was most concerned about 20 or 40 years from now, how will she be remembered……………what’s in our memory into a place that doesn’t forget,” he said.
The QR code-enabled tombstone is a new technology, which can be added to the growing number of services that have already emerged in the last number of years, to help us identify people in an online capacity.
It is certainly a new way to pay respect to the dead and will certainly suit today’s younger generation who have grown up with Facebook and Twitter and Youtube as means of communication with peers.
Is it too much? Technology gone too far? Or is it in keeping with communications today?

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Steve Jobs, Thank You

Steve Jobs - computing entrepreneur, inventor, co-founder/chairman/ex CEO/overall face of Apple Inc. and not so well known co-founder and previous CEO of Pixar Animation Studios and a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.

Jobs died in California at the age of 56 on October 5, 2011, seven years after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He has been widely described as a visionary, a pioneer and a genius in the field of innovation, product design, entertainment and business. More often than not, he has been recognised as the man who has profoundly changed the face of the modern world across at least six different industries. Through his animation studio, Pixar, and films such as Toy Story (1995), he also helped revolutionise the movie industry. Few entrepreneurs – like Henry Ford– have had as much impact.His death was widely mourned across the globe.

Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene Powell, whom he married in a Buddhist ceremony in 1991, and their children, Reed, Erin and Eve.

His death as announced by Apple:

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.”

Thank you Steve Jobs, for Pixar, Apple and the legacy of innovation, determination and courage you have left behind. Rest in peace now.

 

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