Arthur Hyatt, 76, Pass Christian

Arthur and Jean Hyatt's friends are fond of telling the story of their courtship.

In 1998, Jean Collins, a widow, and Arthur Hyatt, a widower, went on a Mediterranean cruise with some Pass Christian friends.

"Nobody set them up," Malee Hearin said, "but by the time we got home, we knew something was cooking. They tried to keep it quiet, but they were like kids."

Arthur Hyatt, 76, and Jean, 71, his wife of seven years, died on Aug. 29, but they shared a love for travel and the water.

"Arthur was quite a sailor," Hearin said. "He had diabetes late in life and didn't get around very well. They had some good years together."

Arthur Hyatt spent his childhood in New Orleans and had two children from his first marriage.

"He did quite a bit of fishing," Marion Claire Simpson said.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Arthur Hyatt, 76, Pass Christian."