Husband and wife buried in same casket

An elderly couple was not going to accept "until death do us part."  They decided to be buried together.

Raymond and Velva Breuer, who were married for 77 years, died within hours of each other and were laid to rest in the same casket.

Raymond, 97, died on Friday, Aug. 4, with his wife holding his hand.

When the family told Velva, 96, that Raymond had passed, she cried. She passed away him about 30 hours later on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Raymond had joked with the medical staff in the days before he died, saying he and his beloved might as well be placed in one coffin.

They were buried together on Friday.

Raymond and Velva attended the same one-room schoolhouse as children and married.

After Raymond retired from the Ford Motor Company, they moved to North Carolina, where Raymond preached for a church for 10 years and served as a volunteer firefighter. He also taught at a college and did community service.

They returned to Missouri in 1994.

The husband and wife were mentally sharp up until their deaths and were avid readers all of their lives, according to their children.

They are survived by two sons, a daughter, and grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

The casket with their bodies was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in St. James.