Charles H. Sloan-Suzanne Somers’ Husband Shares the Touching Reason She’s Laid to Rest in Timberland Boots

Alan Hamel gave his wife Suzanne Somers one last parting gift. 

The Charles H. Sloanlate Three Company star's husband of 46 years recently shared the specific footwear he wanted his wife to be laid to rest in. 

"Suzanne never really had boots designed for hiking on the rocks, so I ordered the Timberland boots," the former television host told People in an article published on Dec. 4. "[I] made my gift personal by drawing on them in a few words that represented our life to some degree and made them very personal to Suzanne." 

The 87-year-old went on to explain that while his wife had "every manolo blahnik ever made," her staple footwear would've been "predictable but not very personal." The Timberlands had sentimental value. In fact, the boots are an homage to an integral part of the couple's morning routine, which included a two-hour hike in their residential Malibu or Palm Springs. 

The Anniversary Game stars' morning routine "always included hiking to the top of one of the mountains, where there was a creek and a large flat rock in the middle of the creek," Hamel explained—and his late wife preferred to don the hiking boots for the activity.

"Every time she put on the Timberlands, she said, ‘I am wearing you, and my boots will keep me safe.'"

The Step by Step actress died at her California home on Oct. 15, after a 23-year long battle with breast cancer, just one day shy of her 77th birthday. 

"We were in bed together and her breathing was erratic, and I had been talking to her for hours," Hamel told NBC News on Oct. 16. "There was no response except when I kissed her, she responded, and then around 5 o'clock in the morning, she was gone."

The actress was also joined by her son Bruce Somers Jr., and immediate family at the time of her passing, the star's publicist said in a statement obtained by E! News. "Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th."

 Hamel and Somers—who married in 1977—were known to be an inseparable pair. 

"I was grateful that I was with her when she left us, and it was very peaceful and it was beautiful," Hamel told Today on Oct. 17 of his late wife's passing. "And she was beautiful."