Jean and George Spears met and fell in love in a London dancing hall during WWII. Their beautiful love story stretched decades after decades. One month after their 75th wedding anniversary, the WWII lovebirds perished hours apart. And, still reeling from their parents’ untimely deaths, their children argue the couple’s deaths defies “any kind of logic.”
Wife of a Soldier and Her Officer
The year was 1941. Jean lived and worked in London, and she and her pals went to a dance hall. She met George, a sergeant major in the Royal Canadian Engineers’ 1st Corps Field Survey Co. who went on to become an intelligence officer.
When George saw Jean in her red dress, he was instantly smitten.
«That was the conclusion of my story. «I never let her out of my sight,» he remarked.
Jean disliked George’s shoes, but she decided to give him a chance on the dance floor.
On the couple’s 72nd wedding anniversary, George recalled, “She looked down at my army boots and said, ‘I’m not sure if we can with those clodhoppers you’re wearing.” «That was our first encounter. ‘Let’s give it a try,’ I suggested. That is exactly what we did. That was the final straw.»
However, as they danced the night away, the two rapidly fell in love.
“He had his army boots on but he could dance. And his rhythm was perfect. So we didn’t dance with anyone else the whole evening.” Jean recalled.
A year later, in 1942, the couple married. There was no time for a large project with the war raging. Jean was dressed in a gown borrowed from the butcher’s daughter.
«When you met a boy, you took advantage of every opportunity because you didn’t know when or if you’d see him again. There was excitement, a delightful, fantastic energy that is impossible to convey and difficult to understand if you weren’t there. Your senses were heightened as a result of your anxiety,» Jean explained.
In 1944, the couple returned to George’s home in Canada. They lived there for many decades as a loving husband and wife.
Two WWII lovebirds died within hours of each other.
Jean, 94, became ill with pneumonia a month after celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary and was admitted to the hospital on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, she spoke on the phone with George, 97. Then, on Thursday, George fell asleep and ended up in the hospital as well.
Staff attempted to reunite the pair on the same floor. But the WWII lovebirds died hours apart before they could. Jean went asleep peacefully and died the next day at 4:30 a.m. George followed his darling bride’s lead a few hours later, at 9:45 a.m.
«But this defies any sort of logic. We were overwhelmed by the suddenness of it,» says their daughter, Heather Spear.
The grieving children find comfort in telling stories about Jean and George, and their incredible love story. They say the two always complemented each other so well. Jean was the more outgoing, and loved parties and chatting.
«We laugh a little about it because she was the stronger of the two about what she wanted to do or not do,» says Heather. «She was a force to be reckoned with.»
George was quieter and loved the outdoors.
Jean, who had moved from London to Canada to be with her husband, continued to support those back home during the war, organizing a food and care box drive for households in London’s East End. She also worked to establish a club for war wives, and her services were recognized and honored by the Queen of England in 2006!
Five years later, the pair attended a private reception in Ottawa with Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. At the event, George proudly displayed a 1942 image of Jean that he had hidden under his soldier’s beret.
«Kate asked if I had always kept the photo and I replied, ‘All through the war and ever since,’» George explained.
The incredible love shared by Jean and George is the fondest memory, by far. Jean herself described the blessing of such an amazing marriage.
«I realized when we met that we were on to a good thing,” she explained. “When we got married, we thought we were in heaven. Throughout our lives, the ups and downs, we know that together we are a good thing. We recognize it and have never failed to acknowledge it.»
We can just picture these two lovebirds dancing in Heaven!
