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- The Kentucky Post (Covington, KY)
December 26, 2007
John Haskell
In marriage, most couples pledge their love until "death do us part." But apparently, John Haskell wanted something even more permanent when he joined hands with his bride, Mary, 71 years ago.
Mr. Haskell's family said that being half of Boone County's longest-married couple wasn't enough for their dad. He intended to stay with his bride for eternity. In his final hours, Mr. Haskell told his family he was glad to die before his wife so that he could get to heaven and start preparing for the rest of their lives together. "He always treated her like a little princess -- and he said he was not going to let her be going before he got there," said Haskell's daughter, Marlene Brown, of Florence. "He said he was going to go and save a place for her in heaven and he would have a place waiting. He wanted to be there to welcome her home."
John K. Haskell, 96, died Saturday morning at the home he shared with Mary in Union.
He and his 90-year-old wife had been named the longest-married couple at the Boone County Seniors Picnic for four years. And though the couple did not attend this year's picnic, Brown said her parents would have received the honor again, along with a repeat recognition for Mr. Haskell as the oldest man at the annual gathering.
Ms. Brown said her parents just seemed perfectly suited for each other and rarely even exchanged harsh words. But, she said in the early 1930s a friend had actually dissuaded her mother from even taking an interest in the young and popular John Haskell. "Mother said she saw dad walking down the street and she was standing there talking to her girlfriend and mom said, 'The only guy I've seen around that I'd be interested in is that guy over there,'" Ms. Brown recalled. "So her friend said, 'Well, don't set your cap for him. He's the most popular guy in Erlanger and he has a girl for every night of the week.' So the first person (her mother) showed her wedding ring when she got it was the friend who told her not to set her cap for him."
Mr. Haskell spent most of his working years as a carpenter for a variety of homebuilders. Ms. Brown said her father also built two homes for his own family, and one for his adult son in Erlanger.
After he retired in 1973, Mr. Haskell started his own small nursery business. He sold a variety of plants and trees at flea markets until he was about 95. He was a member of the First Church of Christ in Burlington.
He was preceded in death by a grandson.
Aside from his wife, Mary Ash Haskell, and daughter, he is survived by two sons, Jerry and Dwayne, both of Union; seven grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
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Find-a-Grave
John Kenton Haskell, 96, of Union, died Saturday, December 22 at his home. He was a retired Finish Carpenter and a member of the First Church of Christ, Burlington.
He was married for 71 years to Mary Ash Haskell and was recognized at the Boone County Fair for being the oldest known married couple in Boone County.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Ash Haskell; daughter, Marlene (Bob) Brown of Florence; sons, Dwayne Haskell and Jerry Haskell, both of Union; seven grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren.
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1911 - 2007 (96 years)
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