Victor Barnaby wanted to live to celebrate his 77th wedding anniversary, his family said. And just hours afterward, he died at age 96.
SALINE, Mich. (Tribune News Service) — Victor and Beverly Barnaby celebrated 77 years of marriage by toasting with Vernor’s floats.
The Saline couple sat on their porch May 1, celebrating their lives together and cherishing memories with their family, including six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
They had been together since high school in Detroit, where it was love at first sight, the couple’s family said. In the years since, they’d gone through a lot together: a deployment in World War II, the deaths of three of their five sons and Victor’s illness, chronic inflammatory lung disease.
Victor wanted to live to celebrate the anniversary, his family said. And just hours afterward, it was finally Victor’s time. He died May 2, his son Steve Barnaby said.
He was 96.
His death was not unexpected – his COPD had worsened over the last several months. Family members visited over the last few days to celebrate Victor’s life with him, knowing there would not be a funeral because of restrictions on gathering during the pandemic.
