ADD：http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015848634_sarvers08m.html
Title:
Bob and Kay Sarver were married for more than 74 years. Last month, they died within 15 hours of each other.
Title:
Together 74 years, Kirkland couple die less than a day apart
Bob and Kay Sarver were married for more than 74 years. Last month, they died within 15 hours of each other.
On Friday, they were laid to rest as one.
"They were together every day of their lives except when he was in the Navy," said daughter-in-law Sandy Sarver, of Kirkland, where Bob and Kay Sarver moved at the end of World War II.
At the time of their deaths, he was 92, and she was 93. They married in 1937.
"I never thought of them as individuals. I always thought of them as one," Sandy Sarver said. "They were joined at the hip."
The Sarvers ran Sarver's Market on Kirkland's Market Street when it was a primary route to Seattle from the Eastside. It was a prime location.
Sodas, milk and meat — Sarver's sold groceries for nearly a quarter of a century. Sports, politics and gossip — Sarver's was a natural gathering place for discussions.
Robert Sarver, also known as Bob, was dubbed the "mayor of Market Street," according to his son, Mike Sarver.
"People came to the store because of the personality of my dad," he said. He was a great storyteller and "was always making golf swings like Johnny Carson."
He played a good game of golf, too, shooting his age at 77.
Bob Sarver made some money playing dice on an aircraft carrier on his way home from the war, his son said. It was enough to buy a small mom-and-pop store, with a small house attached.
The store doubled as a school and Greyhound bus stop, and Bob Sarver drove a school-bus route before the store opened at 9 a.m. When it closed 12 hours later, he'd remodel local houses, often until midnight.
"For 12 years, he never had a day off," Mike Sarver said.
They were a flashy couple, his son said, always driving new cars and wearing good clothes.
Bob Sarver was born in Oregon, but after the Depression he moved to Seattle, where he and his future wife attended Roosevelt High School.
The couple met through baseball. He was a pitcher and her brother, Gil, a catcher. Bob Sarver played semiprofessional baseball and was instrumental in starting Little League Baseball in Kirkland.
"He probably could've played pro ball," Mike said. "He was that good."
Katherine Sarver, also known as Kay, was one of nine children and worked side by side with her husband. For nearly 25 years the Sarvers ran the store. After it closed in the late 1960s, he sold cars and was considered a top salesman, according to his son.
Later, Bob Sarver joined his son's real-estate business.
The Sarvers enjoyed visiting Hawaii and Mount Rainier, and they liked the Snoqualmie Casino. He was a master bridge player while she was a whiz at puzzles.
For nearly a decade, the couple lived in Mason Lake, near Shelton, before moving back to a Kirkland apartment and finally to an assisted-living home.
About the only time they were apart was when a sports game was on TV. They were fanatical about baseball, basketball, tennis and more — but they watched in separate rooms.
Mike Sarver said his father was such a good athlete that perhaps he expected too much of the ones he watched.
Kay Sarver, meanwhile, never gave up on a team.
"She said, 'I can't be around him. He's so negative,' " Sandy Sarver said.
In recent months, he suffered from kidney disease and other ailments. He died at 12:55 p.m. on July 12, according to his family.
She suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, and was in hospice care. At the time of her husband's death, she could no longer speak or swallow but could still write.
When told of his passing, she wrote: "I want to see Dad."
Her son prepared to take her to see the body.
"No," she made it clear. "I want to be with him right now."
Before the next dawn, at 4:25 a.m., Kay Sarver died.
Their ashes were mixed together. Some were put in a square, sealed wooden urn, which was interred in a wall Friday at Tahoma National Cemetery in Covington. The rest will be spread among their favorite places.
"We can't separate them now," said Susan McLeod, of Fort Peck, Mont., the couple's daughter.
The Sarvers also are survived by three granddaughters, four great-granddaughters and his brother, Bill Sarver.
Summary:It's a ture love story .They love each other for 74 years.Now they can spend forever together. It's touching me a lot.It's a happy sad beautiful love story .No," she made it clear. "I want to be with him right now." This sentences touch me a lot.
Personnal Response:I love this story.It's amazing the control we have over ourselves at the end sometimes. May you live as long as you love, and love as long as you live. They had a life that was truly well-lived.
"They were together every day of their lives except when he was in the Navy," said daughter-in-law Sandy Sarver, of Kirkland, where Bob and Kay Sarver moved at the end of World War II.
At the time of their deaths, he was 92, and she was 93. They married in 1937.
"I never thought of them as individuals. I always thought of them as one," Sandy Sarver said. "They were joined at the hip."
The Sarvers ran Sarver's Market on Kirkland's Market Street when it was a primary route to Seattle from the Eastside. It was a prime location.
Sodas, milk and meat — Sarver's sold groceries for nearly a quarter of a century. Sports, politics and gossip — Sarver's was a natural gathering place for discussions.
Robert Sarver, also known as Bob, was dubbed the "mayor of Market Street," according to his son, Mike Sarver.
"People came to the store because of the personality of my dad," he said. He was a great storyteller and "was always making golf swings like Johnny Carson."
He played a good game of golf, too, shooting his age at 77.
Bob Sarver made some money playing dice on an aircraft carrier on his way home from the war, his son said. It was enough to buy a small mom-and-pop store, with a small house attached.
The store doubled as a school and Greyhound bus stop, and Bob Sarver drove a school-bus route before the store opened at 9 a.m. When it closed 12 hours later, he'd remodel local houses, often until midnight.
"For 12 years, he never had a day off," Mike Sarver said.
They were a flashy couple, his son said, always driving new cars and wearing good clothes.
Bob Sarver was born in Oregon, but after the Depression he moved to Seattle, where he and his future wife attended Roosevelt High School.
The couple met through baseball. He was a pitcher and her brother, Gil, a catcher. Bob Sarver played semiprofessional baseball and was instrumental in starting Little League Baseball in Kirkland.
"He probably could've played pro ball," Mike said. "He was that good."
Katherine Sarver, also known as Kay, was one of nine children and worked side by side with her husband. For nearly 25 years the Sarvers ran the store. After it closed in the late 1960s, he sold cars and was considered a top salesman, according to his son.
Later, Bob Sarver joined his son's real-estate business.
The Sarvers enjoyed visiting Hawaii and Mount Rainier, and they liked the Snoqualmie Casino. He was a master bridge player while she was a whiz at puzzles.
For nearly a decade, the couple lived in Mason Lake, near Shelton, before moving back to a Kirkland apartment and finally to an assisted-living home.
About the only time they were apart was when a sports game was on TV. They were fanatical about baseball, basketball, tennis and more — but they watched in separate rooms.
Mike Sarver said his father was such a good athlete that perhaps he expected too much of the ones he watched.
Kay Sarver, meanwhile, never gave up on a team.
"She said, 'I can't be around him. He's so negative,' " Sandy Sarver said.
In recent months, he suffered from kidney disease and other ailments. He died at 12:55 p.m. on July 12, according to his family.
She suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, and was in hospice care. At the time of her husband's death, she could no longer speak or swallow but could still write.
When told of his passing, she wrote: "I want to see Dad."
Her son prepared to take her to see the body.
"No," she made it clear. "I want to be with him right now."
Before the next dawn, at 4:25 a.m., Kay Sarver died.
Their ashes were mixed together. Some were put in a square, sealed wooden urn, which was interred in a wall Friday at Tahoma National Cemetery in Covington. The rest will be spread among their favorite places.
"We can't separate them now," said Susan McLeod, of Fort Peck, Mont., the couple's daughter.
The Sarvers also are survived by three granddaughters, four great-granddaughters and his brother, Bill Sarver.
Summary:It's a ture love story .They love each other for 74 years.Now they can spend forever together. It's touching me a lot.It's a happy sad beautiful love story .No," she made it clear. "I want to be with him right now." This sentences touch me a lot.
Personnal Response:I love this story.It's amazing the control we have over ourselves at the end sometimes. May you live as long as you love, and love as long as you live. They had a life that was truly well-lived.
