I was thinking about Percy Arrowsmith this morning. I had never heard of Percy Arrowsmith until a couple of weeks ago when I read that he and his 100-year-old wife Florence had set the world record for longest marriage. They celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary in Hereford, England.
Merely two weeks after the story of Percy Arrowsmith's 80 year marriage broke, poor Percy passed away at the age of 105. For 105 years he lived happily in anonymity only to die two weeks after his story was picked up by the Associated Press.
There's no way this was a coincidence. I'm guessing some reporter interviewing him for this story tranferred germs he was too weak to fight. His isolated existence in Hereford was comprimised by a bunch of story-hungry reporters and cameramen who no doubt brought a number of bugs with them. He didn't have a chance.
Or perhaps the attention he garnered caused him to realize that he had been married to the same woman for 80 years. Suicide, no doubt, became his only escape.
Percy Arrowsmith, rest in peace.
