By Julia Zhu

Samuel Pinckney, 78, and Teresa Pinckney, 79, a wealthy couple without family, children, or known relatives alive, were reluctant to continue the painful life tortured by illness. After sticking a note to a friend’s front door, in which they ask the friend to inform authorities, the couple turned on their Cadillac Sedan de Ville in the garage next to their house, waiting for death to come.

In the note to the friend Sonia Meyer, they reveal what pushed them to end their lives. Though they “have the means to afford the best doctors, hospitals and around-the-clock home care to the end of our lives, which could be years away,” they prefer not to waste the money on medical care but donate it to charities. Because through their will and the mission work of their church and other charities, their fortune “is destined to help many young people throughout the world who may one day be able to help many more.”

Carbon monoxide-induced asphyxiation killed the couple in their running car last night at 976 Grand Ave., Alberta. As their health deteriorated, they committed suicide.

The couple used to lead a desirable life. About fifty-two years ago, the highly educated newlyweds opened a bakery, Pinckney’s Bakery. Since then, by running the store diligently and scaling the store up, they possessed a significant amount of wealth, estimated at 10 million dollars in total by their attorney. The bakery eventually evolves into a store with 74 employees, offering service to various clients around the city. They retired at 70 and sold the bakery to their employees.

However, their last days are a nightmare. In recent months, the couple suffered from diseases driving them away from normal free life—left-side body paralysis for Mr. Pinckney, incapable of walking after a third stroke attacked him; rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and vision loss for Mrs. Pinckney, unable to read.  24-hour care and nurses were needed to take care of them. Such a miserable life was not what Pinckneys want.

According to the couple’s will, the legacy would all be used to support local charities: $1 million each goes to the Salvation Army, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and United Way, $5 million goes to their church, the Faith Assembly of God, and smaller amounts go to other charities in the city. “In a sense, this legacy represents the final purpose of our lives,” they stated in the suicide note.