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.
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"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.
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"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.' "
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"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" -Ephesians 5:25
h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WMUR-TV