Bruce and Kaye Byrne, of Manhasset, die two days apart at 91, 87

When you have spent six decades with someone, it is nearly impossible to imagine a world without them. Such was the case for Bruce and Kaye Byrne, a Manhasset couple who rarely spent time apart, even in death.

"They were very much in love with each other. They had their ups and downs just like everyone else, but they were extremely devoted to one another," said the couple's son, Douglas Byrne, 54, of Skovde, Sweden. "It was difficult for them to be apart."

The couple died at The Glenview at Pelican Bay senior community in Naples, Florida, two days apart: Bruce on Sept. 23 of natural causes at age 91, and Kaye of acute renal failure and pneumonia on Sept. 25 at 87.

Bruce Byrne was born on Sept. 18, 1933, in Great Neck. He earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from St. John's University. He served as a petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard before beginning his career as an injury attorney for Con Edison. In 1983, Byrne decided to practice for himself, which he did for the rest of his career.

Carla Kaye Byrne (née Kendall) was born on Aug. 15, 1937, in upstate Rochester. She grew up in Parkchester, in the Bronx, before moving to Manhasset. Kaye received her bachelor's degree from Marymount College and worked for Hazeltine Corp. as a defense contractor until 1970. In 1983, she obtained her real estate license and became a real estate broker.

The couple met at a fundraiser. Kaye was a friend of Bruce's brother, who introduced the two. They married in 1960 and moved to Manhasset in the mid-'60s. In 1970, they welcomed their only child, a son, Douglas.

"They were excellent parents," he said. "They were always there and took a keen interest in everything I did. There was always a lot of love."

Bruce and Kaye were fixtures of their North Shore community; Bruce served as the Village of Flower Hill justice for 40 years and a member of the board of trustees, and Kaye as a volunteer with the Church of St. Mary in Manhasset as a lector and founder of the bereavement group.

"He was a fantastic judge and was very sympathetic with any of the cases. He was great to work with and was always willing to help anyone in the office," said Village of Flower Hill Court Clerk Susan Williams, of Great Neck. "Bruce was very warm, understanding, and had a great personality. He meant a lot to Flower Hill."

Kaye was very active at St. Mary's. When she and her husband retired to Naples in 2014, Kaye replicated her volunteer efforts at St. William Catholic Church and was always "the one to lead the charge," said her son.

"Mom was always on all sorts of committees and boards, a true community activist," Doug said. "She was never shy to express her opinion."

Sally Potter, a eucharistic minister from Naples, brought daily Communion to the Byrnes for the last four years at Glenview.

"Bruce and Kaye Byrne had great faith and commitment, but also a strong and loving relationship and great respect for each other," she said.

According to their son, the Byrnes loved spending time together. Whether it was attending church or traveling to Europe and the Caribbean, they truly enjoyed each other's company, even if their hobbies took them in different directions.

"Dad loved golf and was a longtime member of the Sands Point Golf Club. The driving range was his sanctuary," said Doug, who added that his father was an avid reader and played the piano. "He was so humble and had this tremendous intellect but he was never one to expose it. He had dementia, but if you asked him anything related to law, it just clicked. He loved the law above anything else."

As for Kaye, she was a very "intellectually curious person" who "loved to explore new cultures and collect artwork," according to Doug. A talented painter, she took classes at the Roslyn School of Painting and enjoyed visiting museums.

The couple's love story ended how it began: together. With his health in decline, Bruce's family entered him into hospice care, a decision that weighed heavily on his wife.

"She knew that it was coming, and that hit her hard," said Doug of his mother's impending loss of her husband. "He died at 6:37 in the morning and Mom died two days later at 6:38 in the morning."

In addition to their son, the Byrnes are survived by their daughter-in-law, Victoria; granddaughters, Olivia and Heather; Bruce's sister, Carolyn O'Neill of Glen Head; and several nieces and nephews. A joint funeral Mass was held at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Great Neck on Oct. 9. The couple is buried at All Saints Cemetery in Great Neck.