Couple together in life and death
The Sticklands' family plan to bury their parents' ashes in Niue, where they first fell in love.
Robert and Yvonne Stickland were married for 54 years and were inseparable, even in death.
Both died of cancer on Friday within eight hours of each other.
Yvonne, 73, had an aggressive tumour near her kidney and spine and Robert, 78, had lung and liver cancer.
Their four children, now in their late 40s and 50s, say they have no doubt their father gave up the will to live after seeing the love of his life pass away.
Robert first saw Yvonne zip past him on a motorcycle in Niue, where she was born, and he knew immediately he had to pursue her.
Son Ken, 53, said Robert adopted the island nation as his second home.
They raised their four children there for years before moving to Auckland.
It was a free-range childhood that the Stickland children remember fondly.
Daughter Kathleen, 50, said her parents always did their best to give their family every opportunity they could.
‘‘They used to take us to little places . . . to the beach and camping, little activities.
‘‘We always used to celebrate our birthdays with parties,’’ she said.
‘‘They were very good parents. None of us could have anything bad to say about them.
‘‘We couldn’t have asked for better parents. We are honoured to be their children.’’
Robert was originally from England, and Ken said he was the best father because of his own hard upbringing there.
‘‘He didn’t want us to go through what he went through.’’
Ken and the Sticklands’ other children, Russell and Marion, agreed their childhood was ideal.
Robert’s cancer was discovered in 2015 after scans were carried out following a car crash.
Yvonne’s cancer – which doctors believed had been with her for years, without showing symptoms – was discovered in October. The couple’s final months together were plagued by sickness but Robert still found the strength to kiss Yvonne on the forehead every night.
They lived together in a cottage in Mangere East, on the same section as three of their children, and there was always someone home to help them. However, Yvonne still found the energy to fuss over Robert and prepared his dinner when she could.
On Friday, when the paramedics were called for Yvonne, who had deteriorated rapidly and wasn’t breathing, they also needed to attend to Robert who had developed pneumonia.
Ken said he saw the fight go out of his dad once he heard his wife had died.
‘‘He said ‘oh no, oh no’. He practically died of a broken heart. He kissed her goodbye on the forehead and on the head and then we had to take him to the hospital.’’
Robert died a few hours later, just as his children were making funeral arrangements for Yvonne.
‘‘We know that he lost the will to live because the love of his life had passed away. We know that if mum was still with us, he would still be with us,’’ Ken said.
The couple will be farewelled at a joint service in Papatoetoe on Wednesday. Their children will travel back to Niue to bury their parents’ ashes side by side, in the place where they first met and fell in love.