![\"Geoff](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756339-9bc7.jpg\")
\n\t\tGeoff and Gerrie Gradus were married for 67 years (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tGeoff and Gerrie Gradus were married for 67 years (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n
An elderly couple have died just 41 hours apart as their family<\/a> says they couldn\u2019t live without each other.<\/p>\n Geoff and Gerrie Gradus were married for 67 years and ran a well-known Kosher shop in Cliftonville, Margate.<\/p>\n Geoff, who had been suffering from frailty, died at home surrounded by loved ones at the age of 89. Gerrie died suddenly less than two days later, aged 86.<\/p>\n Their youngest daughter Ruth believes her mum \u2018could not cope\u2019 with life without her beloved husband.<\/p>\n \u2018Everyone says that they\u2019ve never met a couple so in love,\u2019 she said. \u201cThey were always holding hands. My dad was always giving mum a kiss. They were really sweet together.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \t\t \u2018The minute my dad went into a hospital bed in the spare room, which was four days before he died, I think her body just started giving up. I think she would never have survived without him.\u2019<\/p>\n The couple met while Gerrie was on holiday in Cliftonville aged 17, and she wed Geoff three years later. Their marriage began with heartbreak, as they lost their first two babies \u2013 twins \u2013 at birth.<\/p>\n They went on to have four more children<\/a> and became known in Thanet\u2019s Jewish<\/a> community for their shop G\u2019s Stores, which Geoff\u2019s parents had previously run. The grocer\u2019s, butcher\u2019s and delicatessen was loved in Cliftonville for its doughnuts and cheesecake.<\/p>\n \t\t But with the rise of supermarkets<\/a> in the 1980s, they sadly had to sell the store. The couple then bought and ran Wychdene Residential Home in Broadstairs.<\/p>\n Ruth said: \u2018They were really caring. They were very much involved \u2013 hands-on. They used to take the residents out for trips and have people come in and do shows for them.\u2019<\/p>\n The couple faced more tragedy when their son Spencer died in a freak ride-on mower accident in 2016.<\/p>\n Geoff and Gerrie had always been involved in the local community, particularly with Margate Swimming Club of which Geoff was chairman. This increased with his retirement after 15 years at the care home.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018They did everything together, literally to the end,\u2019 Ruth said. \u2018They used to play a lot of bridge; they did bowls. They always were very much involved in the committees of all of these places.<\/p>\n \u2018My grandfather was president of Margate Synagogue, and then my father took over when he died. He and my mum used to do lots of fundraising for the synagogue and quizzes.<\/p>\n \u2018They used to do loads of catering and events, and no one would kind of leave anything without a full belly, which I think is a Jewish thing.<\/p>\n \u2018You couldn\u2019t really go anywhere without people stopping and talking to them, which was lovely. They were much-loved and deeply respected members of the community.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t The pair also took in young exchange students wanting to improve their English.<\/p>\n Jutta Bick, who recalls being sent to Cliftonville for holidays as a child, also shared memories of the couple.<\/p>\n \u2018A whole bus full of teenagers from Germany<\/a> \u2013 overtired after a long journey \u2013 arrived in Cliftonville one morning in the summer<\/a> of 1977,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018Everyone was waiting for \u2018their\u2019 family, and then a woman stepped onto the bus, a radiant smile on her face that immediately conveyed good cheer and a sense of welcome. Every single one of us hoped to be picked up by that very woman. It was Gerrie Gradus, and three wonderful weeks began.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Every single day of these holidays \u2013 spent within this large, shared family \u2013 was a gift to me, and to every one of us young people. When the holidays came to an end, and I had to begin my journey home, it was a painful farewell to a wonderful time, to a new and extended family, but above all, to an incredibly warm-hearted person \u2013 Gerrie.\u2019<\/p>\n In their later years, the couple \u2013 who were grandparents and great-grandparents \u2013 stayed very involved in local events and were dedicated members of Walpole Bay Bowls Club.<\/p>\n Geoff \u2013 president of the club \u2013 worked tirelessly to secure a Sport England<\/a> grant to fund the building of a clubhouse.<\/p>\n Gerrie was also heavily involved in the committee after retiring from playing herself.<\/p>\n Even in his old age, Geoff was passionate about catering and would buy food in bulk from the cash and carry to sell on to friends and neighbours.<\/p>\n Ruth added: ;They will always be remembered as a couple who gave so much to their community \u2013 and who remained side by side until the very end.\u2019<\/p>\n Following their deaths in December, the couple were buried together in a joint service at Margate Jewish Cemetery.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756363-e86a.jpg\")
\n\t\tGerrie died suddenly less than two days after her husband Geoff (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756357-b8c8.jpg\")
\n\t\tG\u2019s Stores was famous for its sweet treats during the shop\u2019s heyday in Cliftonville (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756354-60c8.jpg\")
\n\t\tGeoff and Gerrie Gradus married in 1958 (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)
\n\u2018They did everything together, literally to the end\u2019<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756362-8245.jpg\")
\n\t\tGerrie and Geoff were heavily involved in their local community in Cliftonville, Margate. (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/coverimages55756347-54a2.jpg\")
\n\t\tTheir daughter says the couple was still very affectionate in their old age (Picture: Ruth Gradus\/Cover Images)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: We\u2019re in a committed relationship but we\u2019ll sell you a \u2018threesome experience\u2019 for \u00a3400<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: I forgot about our crazy one night stand \u2013 until I got engaged to her brother<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: I was married three times by 26 \u2014 but my fourth wedding is going to last<\/a><\/p>\n