Helen and Joe Auer spent 73 years married to each other and refused to part even in death.

The couple, from Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away only 28 hours apart after seven decades and ten children together.

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Helen Auer, 94, died peacefully on Wednesday at her home, leaving her grieving husband alone.

According to the Daily Mail, Mr Auer’s last words to his dying wife were, “Helen, call me home”.

Only 28 hours later, he joined her.

The couple’s nine surviving children told the Cincinnati Enquirer they did not expect their father to survive without their mother for more than one night.

The pair survived the Great Depression and World War II together.

They have 16 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

“They were simple, humble people. They wanted nothing and got everything in return,” their son, Jerry Auer, told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“If somebody were thinking of getting married, they could do a lot worse than to look at my parents.”

The couple’s funeral Mass will be held in the same church where they married.