Peter Marshall, Who Proposed to Wife After Forgetting They Were Married, Dies of Alzheimer’s
Earlier this year, Lisa and Peter Marshall captured hearts when they had a second marriage ceremony after Peter had forgotten they were married, yet fell in love with her again and proposed. Now, Lisa has shared the news that her beloved husband has passed away from early onset Alzheimer’s.
In a post on her Oh Hello Alzheimer’s page, Lisa wrote, “My beloved Peter passed away peacefully last night surrounded by so much love. He is free of her horrendous grip, for that I am relieved. My heart is broken, but I have no regrets. My heart is broken, but I will find joy in our memories. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Peter gave me a beautiful life.”
Lisa started her page to share her family’s journey with early onset Alzheimer’s, which her husband had been living with for years. He was diagnosed in 2018 at the age of 53 after struggling to find things and then to form sentences. Lisa said when people who hadn’t seen him for some time stopped by, they knew something was wrong. When they went for tests, they ultimately learned the cause of Peter’s symptoms.
Though she was heartbroken by the diagnosis, Lisa committed herself to being Peter’s full-time caregiver and to helping others in the same situation feel that they weren’t alone. That’s where Oh Hello Alzheimer’s has come in.
She said, “I think that in the beginning it was me just really screaming, ‘Look at this! Look at what’s happening to us!’ I was horrified. It was a desperate cry. It’s been a support for me and a bunch of other people who get it and are going through the same thing.”
The experience that reached the most people was when Peter, who had forgotten they were married, re-proposed to Lisa when they were watching a TV wedding one night. The lovebirds, who had already been married for 12 years, went ahead and took the plunge again.
At the time, Lisa said, “I went into it with no expectations, the disease is so unpredictable. I still got butterflies getting my make up done and putting my dress on. Every moment was more magical than the next. Peter was bright and present the whole day. He was just so happy. During the vows, he just told me, ‘Lisa, I love you.’ And that’s all I needed.”
Unfortunately, within a few months, Peter’s Alzheimer’s began progressing rapidly, with Lisa sharing that he could no longer walk down the stairs, was in a hospital bed in their home, and became combative at times.
In a post shortly before Peter passed away, Lisa wrote of his increasing struggles, saying, “Most days, I am numb. Chewing is a chore. I hope only for Peter’s comfort and peace, nuzzling near him, offering him all the gentleness I can muster. Snuggling sessions are precious and nothing else matters.
“The chores and dirt and tasks and things will be there later, the hand I’m holding will not.”
