Elderly Man Who Lived With Wife in Car Dies

An elderly man who had been living with his wife in what police called a “squalid” and unsafe car, died Tuesday at a Vermont veteran's hospital.

Roger Maguire, 79, died at the White River Junction hospital of cancer, said his wife, Beverly. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War and worked in construction before his retirement, she said.

Beverly said she was in an Exeter Hospital social services program, placed there by a court-appointed guardian, when her husband died.

“I never got to say goodbye to him,” she said.

After his death, Beverly was transported to White River Junction by a veteran's organization, which also paid for her to stay in a hotel for the night, she said.

Beverly, 72, was arrested July 28 on a charge alleging she failed to report the poor conditions in her car where she and Roger were living. Police Chief Lou Ferland said at the time that the arrest was the only way to get the couple the help they needed.

The Maguires were living in their car last winter when police were working with state agencies to explore various guardianship options, said the police chief. But they left the area and legal papers expired, he said.

They were brought to police attention again on July 28 when they were involved in a car crash in a McDonald's parking lot, said Capt. Mike Schwartz. Their car is “ridiculously unsafe,” so it was towed, he said.

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Elderly Man Who Lived With Wife in Car Dies at VA Hospital

Police Use Arrest to Get Help for Elderly Couple Living in Car