Heartbreaking photo shows widower dining with wife's ashes on Valentine's Day

A reminder to cherish your loved ones

A heartbreaking image of a man eating alone on Valentine’s Day has gone viral after a woman noticed he was dining with the ashes of his deceased wife.

Chasidy Gwaltney, from Corpus Christi in Texas, was eating lunch on February 14 when she noticed the elderly man eating alone.

Crying over his meal, which included wine poured for two, a Valentine’s Day greeting card, and an urn placed across from him, the man’s emotional response to the holiday has shown the negative effect that the day of love can have on those who are no longer with their loved ones.

Sharing the image on Facebook, Gwaltney wrote: “We are all guilty of taking our other half for granted from time to time. We may forget to give a goodbye kiss, say I love you or just be so caught up in what we are doing at the moment that we don’t notice the very little things that mean so much to our special someone.

“I saw something today that has made me remember that we won’t always have each other to hold, talk to, love, play with, or even just aggravate every now and then.

“This picture speaks loudly and it may hurt your heart as it has mine.”

Gwaltney then continued the post: “This man looks like he is spending Valentine’s Day alone at first glance but that is actually his wife in that very beautiful bottle sitting on the table.

“Apparently his love for her was and still is very strong as he takes her ashes out for a Valentine’s lunch date together.

“He even bought her a glass of wine…”

Gwaltney concluded her heartfelt post: “Please love your sweetheart while you have the opportunity, you never know what tomorrow will bring or take away! Happy Valentine’s Day All.”

The image has since been shared over 420,000 times - with thousands responding to Gwaltney’s post.

One person wrote: “This breaks my heart.”

Another said: “So touching. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone.”

Others admired the man’s enduring love for his wife, which is clearly still strong despite her death.

“Wow to have someone love you that deep must be a truly wonderful experience,” wrote one commenter.

The Independent has reached out to Chasidy for comment.