Rosemary Jefferson of College Park said she was grateful for the opportunity, at last, to be with the man she loved as husband and wife while she still could.

  Rosemary served as a caregiver for her husband, Buford Jefferson Jr. The couple got married March 12 in the chapel at Sacred Journey Hospice in McDonough.

  Buford passed away just two weeks later, on March 24.

  The couple’s love story began four decades ago, in a New Orleans pool hall.

  “We’ve been together 40 years,” said Rosemary, 67, last month. “I had two children from my first marriage, and two children from him. Our oldest child together is 37, and the youngest is 34.”

  Buford, 78, suffered from emphysema, liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure and congestive heart failure. As his longtime caregiver, Rosemary acknowledged that her husband knew he didn’t have long to live when they tied the knot, but that he nevertheless remained determined to marry her.

  She said that, for a long time, she balked at the idea of marrying Buford, but that the two maintained a relationship through the years.

  “He always wanted to, but it was me that didn’t want to,” said Rosemary. “He called me his ‘wifey.’ The holdup was that I didn’t like the lifestyle he lived. He didn’t have Christ in his life.

  “About five years ago, he started reading the Bible and the ‘Daily Bread,’ she continued. “He even came to church a couple times.”

  Buford’s health woes weren’t the only challenges he endured with Rosemary over the years. He was in New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit.

  For her part, Rosemary was living in Hattiesburg, Miss., at the time but stayed with her nephew in McDonough in the storm’s aftermath. Rosemary said she remained concerned for Buford’s well-being for weeks until she heard from him again.

  “After a month, Mr. Jefferson contacted me by cell phone through the Red Cross,” she said. “I didn’t know where he was until he called me.”

  Rosemary said Buford began to make positive changes in his spiritual life in recent years, thus opening the door for a deeper level of commitment for them.

  She said Buford was on dialysis at Southern Regional Medical Center when doctors outlined his dire prognosis, which included multiple organ failure.

  “After the doctor advised us that he needed hospice care, Mr. Jefferson told me, ‘We need to get married,’” she said.

  Shortly after Buford entered hospice care at Sacred Journey, management at the facility began working to make their wedding possible. Rosemary said hospice employees and patients joined with the couple’s loved ones for their big day.

  “It was the most beautiful wedding I ever did see,” she said. “I cried the whole time. It was the wedding of a lifetime. I’ll never forget it. I just keep seeing it over and over in my mind. I’m still in shock.”

  Lauren Keefer works at Sacred Journey and was among those who celebrated the Jeffersons’ recent nuptials. She said employees at the facility worked together to make Buford and Rosemary’s wedding dreams a reality.

  “The staff put everything together,” said Keefer. “They made her a bouquet, and one of the chaplains actually officiated the ceremony. It was a really long time in the making.”

  “It was a blessing to be able to make this wish come true for the Jeffersons,” continued Keefer. “Our whole team cherishes the moments we see like this. It helps us remember that hospice is about the journey and being there for our families however they need us, not just the medical care that everyone thinks of first.”

  Sacred Journey’s Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator, Kerry Kerns, officiated the ceremony. Kerns said the event sent an important message to others.

  “It was my pleasure to marry Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson,” said Kerns.  “Their ceremony was a reminder that love can be expressed at any age, during any circumstance, at any given time.  It’s never too late to show someone how much you love them.”

  As her husband approached his last days, Rosemary said she wanted to make his transition “pleasant and happy.” She said marriage enabled Buford to honor a vow he had made to her.

  “He said, ‘I told you I was going to do that, and I told you I was going to leave you a place to stay,’” said Rosemary Jefferson. “He made his promise come true, that’s what he did.”

  She said she’ll never forget what the staff at Sacred Journey did for her and the man she loved.

  “God sent me a harem of angels,” said Jefferson. “They are the kindest, most compassionate people. They go over and beyond the call of duty for people. It’s just beautiful.”