'Not a dry eye in the room': UH music therapist sings to Ashland couple in hospital on 68th anniversary

ASHLAND, Ohio — Sometimes, the most powerful medicine doesn't come in a pill bottle or an operating room. Sometimes, it comes in a song.

Jerry and Carol Gess know that better than most.

Aug. 18 was supposed to be a celebration: The Ashland couple was marking 68 years of marriage together, an amazing milestone . But instead of celebrating with family and friends at home, 89-year-old Jerry found himself admitted to University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center with stomach issues.

"It was right on our anniversary," Carol, 86, recalled.

For Jerry — who worked at General Motors for 33 years and still teaches a weekly Bible class at 89 — it was a disappointing turn of events.

"I really wasn't feeling that good at the time," he said.

But what started as a letdown became something extraor