M'sian couple, aged 89 & 82, die 1 day apart, family arrange funeral on the same day

A Malaysian couple who had spent decades together passed away just one day apart.

According to Oriental Daily, Shen Guilan, 82, and Zhang Guangxiang, 89, from Sungai Petani in Kedah, passed away on Jul. 19 and Jul. 20, respectively.

Their joint funeral has been arranged for Jul. 22, after which their ashes will be placed together at Ming Xiu Shan She Le Tian Shrine.

The couple's family have also arranged for them to be buried side by side.

A love that began in Taiping

Their eldest son, Zhang Liangrui, 59, a car dealer, told Oriental Daily that his parents were inseparable throughout their lives.

Nobody had expected them to pass one day after the other, almost as if they had planned it that way.

He told Oriental Daily: “My father was outgoing and talkative, while my mother was quiet and reserved. They supported each other through decades together."

His parents met when they were both working in Taiping, Perak.

His mother worked at a tailor shop, and his father was introduced to her through a mutual friend.

After getting married, his father was posted to Sungai Petani for grain contracting work, then later ran a transport business.

His mother managed the household and raised their three children.

A decade of caregiving

Shen was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than ten years ago. From then on, Zhang took it upon himself to care for her, tending to her meals and daily needs.

Their eldest son told Oriental Daily that although the children had suggested hiring a domestic helper, their father refused, insisting on caring for his wife himself.

The couple's eldest grandson, Zhang Wenkai, told Oriental Daily that his grandparents had long been seen as a model couple by the whole family.

He added that his grandfather's devotion in caring for his grandmother, including personally bathing her, left a deep impression on him.

Separated in their final days

Shen passed away peacefully on Jul. 19. Fearing the news would be too much for the husband to bear, the family chose not to tell him, and arranged for him to rest upstairs instead.

The following day, while family members were downstairs conducting the funeral prayers for their mother, the domestic helper suddenly came down to inform the son that his father had passed away.

The helper recalled that after hearing the prayers coming from below, the father had grown restless, turning his head from side to side repeatedly, before passing away peacefully shortly after.

The family believes their father may have sensed his wife's passing and chose to follow her.

A final journey together

Since the two passed away one after the other, the family was initially unsure how to arrange the funerals. Even funeral directors said they had rarely encountered such a situation.

They eventually decided to postpone the mother's funeral from Jul. 21 to Jul. 22, together with the father. They would then be cremated and their ashes would be placed together.

The couple's daughter, Zhang Xiufen, who had rushed back from Sarawak on Jul. 18, told Oriental Daily she was grateful she had arrived in time to speak with both parents, which gave her some comfort amid the grief.

Liangrui told Oriental Daily that he believed his parents would remain together in the next life.