A cherished Maryland couple, married for 70 years, passed away holding hands in a Baltimore hospital after being taken off life support following a devastating car crash last week.
Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who tied the knot in July 1955, died side by side on Monday, six days after their vehicle was struck on Route 15 near their Thurmont home, according to their obituary and multiple news reports.
Kenneth, 90, who was behind the wheel, and his 88-year-old wife were rushed to the hospital and placed on life support after sustaining serious injuries in the collision.
Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts married in July 1955, passed away side by side on Monday in a Baltimore hospital.
“They couldn’t have lasted without each other,” their grieving friend Nancy Echard told Fox 5. “That’s how inseparable they were. You always saw them together, no matter where you went.”
The couple were well-known at the Thurmont Senior Center, where they regularly played bingo twice a month. An employee said they had just finished lunch and left the center about 15 minutes before the tragic crash.
Kenneth, 90, and Marilyn, 88, were taken off life support six days after a car collided with the side of their vehicle.
The Thurmont Senior Center shared a heartfelt tribute to the couple — parents of three, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of six — praising them as pillars of the community who were never seen apart.
“To all of us at the Senior Center, they were simply quite the pair,” the center’s Facebook post read. “You rarely saw one without the other, and that was no accident. They were two people who genuinely chose each other every single day. Even in passing, they were not apart for long. Kenneth and Marilyn were a living reminder of what lasting love looks like, and we were blessed to witness it.”
The devoted couple, active churchgoers, were known for bringing flowers to friends in nursing homes and for deeply cherishing their large family and close friends. They always brought everyone together for holidays, birthdays, and special celebrations, according to their obituary.
Marilyn dedicated 25 years to chiropractic care before retiring in 2023, while Kenneth spent his career in marketing.
Though grieving, family members found comfort knowing the couple passed away together, hoping their love and legacy will endure.
“If there’s one thing to share about my grandparents, it’s not only the 70 years they spent together, but that they chose each day to be together and even chose to leave this world together,” their granddaughter Kristie Hopkins told the outlet. “Their legacy is a lesson in how to be human — to be humble, kind, graceful, and to help others, even strangers in need.”
