GodUpdates

90-Year-Old Veteran Shares the Unexpected Way He Honors His Late Wife by Skydiving

July 18, 2024

90-Year-Old Veteran Shares the Unexpected Way He Honors His Late Wife by Skydiving

90-year-old veteran, Bill Rodgers of New Hampshire, goes skydiving once a year for a very special reason. He goes to honor his late wife, Natalie, who passed away in 2017. 

Bill and Natalie were married for 63 years when she passed away in March 2017 after a stroke. The two welcomed two children, four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren over the years. They met at a football game when Bill was just 14 years old

RELATED: Family Took in a Homeless 73-Year-Old Veteran and It Changed His Life

It Was Love At First Sight 

"When I first looked at her, I couldn't keep my eyes off her. I asked her to walk her home. She agreed," Bill says in a video from WMUR-TV. "We held hands. I walked her home. We looked at each other. And we both knew then it was going to be forever."

On July 7th, Bill went skydiving in Pepperell, MA. This was his sixth time skydiving. "My wife talked to me all the way down," Bill says. "She said, 'I've got you in my arms.'"

What a heartwarming and adventurous thing to do each year. Going skydiving isn't for everyone, but for Bill, it's a way to feel closer to his beloved wife. For him, it isn't just jumping out of a plane; it's a way to celebrate his marriage and remember all the time the two of them had together. 

RELATED: Dying Veteran Is Deeply Moved As the Diploma He’d Never Received Is Delivered to His Bedside

Bill Feels Close to Natalie When He Goes Skydiving

"I love doing it because I know I'm in her arms all the way to the ground," the Korean War veteran says. His interview shows how much he truly loved his wife and their years together.  

"She was just an amazing human being. Everybody loved her. I loved her more than life. I still do," Bill tells the reporter. And that much is clear. 

When asked what Natalie would think of him going skydiving? Bill replies, "Every time I jump out of a plane, I can hear her say, 'Billy, you're as crazy as ever.' "

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 100-Year-Old Veteran Began Walking, Rain or Shine, to Raise Money & Look How Far He’s Gone

WATCH: 90-Year-Old Veteran Going Skydiving to Remember His Wife 

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" -Ephesians 5:25 

LISTEN: Grieving Dad Shares How 6-Year-Old Daughter Found Jesus | Bride Riding in Bed of Truck Flies Off Days Before Wedding

h/t: People 

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WMUR-TV

X

Where would you like to share this content?

Today's Devotional

A Prayer for Those Who Accept Christ This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 24

The fact is, all around us, there are many people, for many reasons, who are searching for Christ this Christmas. We may not see the choir of angels around us, but the heavenly host still proclaims Christ’s birth. It occurs all around us.

Read Today's Devotional


Past Stories

December 2024
November 2024