When a husband or wife of 40 to 50 years dies, many times it seems the surviving spouse dies within the year, even when they were healthy at the time of death of the first spouse.
I worked in a retirement home and sometimes witnessed the inverse: a husband or wife dies (more often a husband) and the surviving spouse feels liberated and rejuvenated as if decades of weight have been lifted, and they spring to life making new friends and appear generally more happy and healthy.
It’s still a processes — there’s a period of grief and adjustment but I’ve seen it happen a few times.
This happened to my grandparents. My grandmother was a kind of hypochondriac who had been claiming she was on the verge of death for 30 years. But she wasn't without health problems -- overweight, diabetic, smoker. But she kept going, nevertheless. Then my grandfather died, and she followed about a year later. I really can't help but think he was keeping her going at the end.
When a husband or wife of 40 to 50 years dies, many times it seems the surviving spouse dies within the year, even when they were healthy at the time of death of the first spouse.