Kenneth (Bill) and Barbara Phare were together for almost 80 years. Photo / Supplied
Kenneth (Bill) and Barbara Phare were together for almost 80 years. Photo / Supplied
For almost 80 years they were together - falling in love during the war, travelling across the world and raising a family.
So it seemed only fitting, albeit sad, when 96-year-old Kenneth "Bill" Phare slipped away quietly on Sunday, January 24, just three days after his beloved wife Barbara, 94,died.
The couple, of Papakura, had lived in the area the majority of their lives after immigrating from the UK with their then two young children, John and Janet, in 1963.
Speaking to the Herald, daughter Janet Phare described the moment she told her father that their mother had died.
"Mum was really unwell the last little while and she actually went into a rest home for three days [before] she died.
"When I told him, he said: 'Well done her'! I think he stayed around, to some extent, to help me look after Mum."
The couple met just after World War II broke and Barbara - like many other children in London at the time - was evacuated to a village in Devon, a county in southwest England, to stay safe.
Barbara Phare, 94, and Kenneth (Bill) Phare, 96, died within days of each other.
"The story goes that she and a friend were going down the road one day and she saw my father and she said to her friend: 'I'm going to marry him one day'.
By 1943, they were engaged - but Bill had received the call-up to go to war.
His very first day as a foot soldier would be on June 6, 1944 - D-Day.
'Apart from the war, it has been a wonderful life'
"He had a dreadful time as a foot soldier. I can't remember which beach he landed on, but June 6 was a day he always remembered each year sadly.
"He said to me once: 'Apart from the war, it has been a wonderful life'."
The Phares have always lived in and around Papakura and the couple - particularly Barbara, a talented pianist - had a keen interest in music and theatre.
Janet Phare with photos of her parents, who died within three days of each other last month. Photo / Alex Burton
The couple were clerical workers all their lives, with Bill working at the Ardmore Filter Station for about 20 years before he retired.
"Their jobs weren't that important to them," Janet said.
"They enjoyed the theatre and travelling around New Zealand. That was what they loved."
In keeping with the family's wishes, no funeral service was to be held. The couple were to be cremated and their ashes scattered somewhere significant to the couple.
As for Janet, who has been their parents' full-time carer for more than 10 years, she too is moving on.
"I now have no other ties to Papakura, so I'll travel around New Zealand and look for a small town to live in.
"When you think about it, we're all starting a new adventure, depending on what you believe in."
