Love, the real one, survives everything, even the afterlife: when the soul mate disappears, it’s as if a
piece of oneself was missing and the person so loved will never be «replaced» by someone else. Mr Ted
Richardson, a 93-year-old widower who, after the death of his beloved wife, chose to visit her grave six
days a week with a bouquet of flowers to honor her for all she did for him, knows it very well.
Ted, from
Waikiki, Hawaii, USA, met the love of his life when he was just 16: he came home and told his dad he
saw the girl whom he wanted to marry. Florence, that is the first name of his beloved wife, agreed to go
out with Ted and await his return during World War II. Before he left for the front, Florence gave him a
picture of herself: «She was beautiful. I didn’t mind looking at her all the time,» Ted said. After military
service was completed, the two immediately got married and began a life of love and laughter together.
Ted got a job as a teacher, while his wife worked as a school librarian.
The two had a son, Ted Jr, and were happily married for 72 years, until Florence passed away in 2013.
Since that sad day, Ted quickly began to develop a routine that would see him continue to work. to
honour. So he began visiting his wife’s grave at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, six days a
week. Every morning at 6:30 a.m. Ted is there with his wife, having taken three buses to get there, in the
wind, the rain, the scorching sun or the snow.
The widower spends most of his time taking care of
Florence’s grave: he makes sure the lawn around her is well mowed, brings her fresh flowers, shines the
tombstone and speaks to her: «I consider this my way of thanking her for all the love and help she gave
me during our years of marriage,” he commented.
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