Florida couple leap to their death from condominium window

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- On the last day of 2002, 85-year-old Morris Spivack had a maintenance worker open the windows and remove the screens in his 17th-floor condominium. Spivack, who had lung disease, explained that he needed more fresh air.

Then, three hours before the new year, Spivack leaped to his death, followed seconds later by his 80-year-old wife, Estelle.

The couple of 42 years had been in failing health and Spivack was becoming increasingly feeble.

The two left a note with clear burial instructions and the names of relatives and the couple's lawyer.

Neighbors Coleman and Florence Rashkow were among the last to see the Spivacks alive, around 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Coleman Rashkow said he knew Morris Spivack had not been eating much recently, and he tried to cheer him up.

"That night, I said to him, 'If you don't start eating, I'm going to give you a knuckle sandwich.' I thought it would make him laugh, but nothing," said Rashkow, his voice trailing off as he tried to fight back tears.

When the Rashkows returned to the building later Tuesday, they saw their friends' bodies on the ground.

The Spivacks' attorney did not immediately return a call Thursday.

Rashkow said the Spivacks had seemed depressed. Mrs. Spivack had hip problems and her husband's illness worsened in the past few months. He had little appetite and had to breathe from an oxygen tank and stay indoors, Rashkow said.

Rashkow said the Spivacks had traveled to Florida from New York each winter for about 15 years before they moved permanently to the condominium last year. They had no children, he said.

Workers in the building described the Spivacks as caring to everyone around them. One security guard recalled how they often brought him breakfast at the front desk.

The couple used to tell about how they met when Mrs. Spivack worked for the Internal Revenue Service. Spivack used to joke that he married her because she was about to take all his money.