Family left reeling as parents die within days of each other after 60-year marriage

Sixty years of marriage ended this week for a Brisbane couple, whose family laid them to rest at a joint funeral with matching coffins. The pair who promised to be together forever died just days apart.

Cristina, Elena and David Civico pay tribute to their parents Antonia and Conchita Civico who died within days of each other after 64 years of marriage. Picture: George Hartnett Funerals

A 64-year love story that crisscrossed the globe came to an end this week when the family of Antonio and Conchita Civico buried the love birds in two matching coffins.

The pair, both born in Spain, died this month, a week apart, with a joint funeral held at Albany Creek on Wednesday.

Mr Civico battled Lewy’s body dementia for six years and Mrs Civico was then diagnosed with dementia last year.

Although both had battled the debilitating illness while living in separate nursing homes north of Brisbane, their children were still shocked with their deaths so close together.

Family and friends remembered the couple whose love for each other grew as they built their home north of Brisbane at Caboolture and the Glass House Mountains.

Mr Civico, known as Tony to his friends, was born in Cordoba and after being sent to a monastery which he did not enjoy, he enlisted in the Spanish Legion at 16.

In 1960, he set sail with 380 others and arrived in Melbourne before heading to North Queensland to work as a sugar cane cutter.

On a trip to Brisbane, he met Conchita, who had emigrated from Madrid, and they married six months later, living between Spain and Australia.

The happy young couple. Picture: Facebook

They had three children, David, Elena, and Cristina.

Mr Civico had a side hustle picking pineapples and would get his children out of bed at dawn to help.

He was also known across Brisbane for his delectable Spanish goodies and for organising many events for the Spanish community.

Friends gathered at the joint ceremony for the couple, heard about the times Mr Civico evaded death including the time he crashed his car outside the front of the Purely Blue massage parlour on Abbotsford Rd at Bowen Hills.

“He said he thought he had died and gone to heaven because there were so many beautiful young women giving him cups of tea,” his daughter Cristina told the service.

Although the couple were married until their dying days, the service heard there were a few fights – mainly about the number of children to have.

Mrs Civico left a legacy of love and like her lifelong partner started life in Spain in Madrid in 1933.

As a young girl, her father hid her in the back of a truck during the Spanish Civil War.

Her family was proud that she had worked as a soldering technician for Marconi, and also worked in photography and telecommunications.

Tony and Connie loved family gatherings. Picture: Contributed

The tall Spanish woman found her first job in Australia in 1960 as a nanny and more than 40 years later she was still in touch with her Aussie charges.

She was remembered by colleagues as “being able to talk to anyone” and her daughter said it was no surprise she liked a party.

At 59, her fun-loving nature was evident at Expo 92 in Seville when she and her sister surprised the crowd at the Kangaroo Pub wearing sailor hats and dancing on tables with US Marines.

Along with her love of parties and cooking spaghetti, Mrs Civico was also known for holding the family together and helping out in difficult business times in the family’s deli, stores and takeaway outlets.

The family home always had homemade salami and chorizo along with Spanish wines and cognac.

Daughter Cris said her parents’ deaths marked the end of an extraordinary chapter in the family but said their love story would continue to inspire as it was a testament to the enduring power of love and commitment.