Geoff and Gerrie Gradus’ had been married for 67 years and “did everything together” – and now their family, from Kent, says they couldn’t live without each other
An elderly couple died just 41 hours apart as their family says the pair couldn’t live without each other.
Geoff and Gerrie Gradus, who were married for 67 years, ran a well-known Kosher shop in Cliftonville, Margate. The husband, aged 89, tragically died at home surrounded by his loved ones. A second tragedy hit the family after his wife Gerrie suddenly died less that two days later, aged 86.
The couple’s youngest daughter Ruth said she believed her beloved mother “could not cope” without her husband on 67 years. Her parents had been well known in the local Jewish community for their shop G’s Stores, which Geoff’s parents had previously run.
Ruth, remembering her parents, said: “Everyone says that they’ve never met a couple so in love. They were always holding hands. My dad was always giving mum a kiss. They were really sweet together.”
The daughter shared how Gerrie started to change after Geoff’s health started to deteriorate. Ruth said: “The minute my dad went into a hospital bed in the spare room, which was four days before he died, I think her body just started giving up. I think she would never have survived without him.”
The couple met while Gerrie was on holiday in Cliftonville, Kent, aged just 17, and she married Geoff three years later. Their marriage began with heartbreak, as they lost their first two babies – twins – at birth.
Geoff and Gerrie had four more children and ran their shop, which was loved in the area for its doughnuts and cheesecake, for years. However, when supermarkets started to become more popular, in the 1980s, the couple had to sell the shop. The couple then bought and ran Wychdene Residential Home in Broadstairs, Kent.
Ruth said: “They were really caring. They were very much involved – hands-on. They used to take the residents out for trips and have people come in and do shows for them.”
The couple faced more tragedy when their son Spencer died in a freak ride-on mower accident in 2016. They had always been a big part of the local community, particularly with Margate Swimming Club of which Geoff was chairman. This increased with his retirement after 15 years at the care home. The pair also took in young exchange students wanting to improve their English.
Daughter Ruth added: “They did everything together, literally to the end. They used to play a lot of bridge; they did bowls. They always were very much involved in the committees of all of these places. My grandfather was president of Margate Synagogue, and then my father took over when he died. He and my mum used to do lots of fundraising for the synagogue and quizzes.
“They used to do loads of catering and events, and no one would kind of leave anything without a full belly, which I think is a Jewish thing. You couldn’t really go anywhere without people stopping and talking to them, which was lovely. They were much-loved and deeply respected members of the community.”
Jutta Bick, who recalls being sent to Cliftonville for holidays as a child, also shared memories of the couple, saying: “A whole bus full of teenagers from Germany – overtired after a long journey – arrived in Cliftonville one morning in the summer of 1977. Everyone was waiting for ‘their’ family, and then a woman stepped onto the bus, a radiant smile on her face that conveyed good cheer and a sense of welcome.
“Every single one of us hoped to be picked up by that very woman. It was Gerrie Gradus, and three wonderful weeks began. Every single day of these holidays – spent within this large, shared family – was a gift to me, and to every one of us young people.”
Ruth also said: “They will always be remembered as a couple who gave so much to their community – and who remained side by side until the very end.” Following their deaths in December, the couple were buried together in a joint service at Margate Jewish Cemetery.