Man Surprises Wife On 67th Wedding Anniversary From Outside Her Window In Nursing Home

Mar 19, 2020 by apost team

Due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, Bob Shellard had to surprise his wife from outside her window in the nursing home on their 67th wedding anniversary in Vernon, Connecticut.

In what was their first-ever wedding anniversary apart, the Vernon resident brought a sign to his wife’s nursing home to commemorate their 67 years of marriage. While Bob used to come by every day to see his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and dementia according to The Hill, the couple is now barred from face-to-face contact for 30 days.

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The new precaution comes after NBC Connecticut reported that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont enacted a nursing home visitor ban in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Health officials have emphasized that seniors are especially at risk when it comes to the new virus, thus the visitor ban is an effort to protect the state’s most vulnerable groups. But even if the ban is for a good reason, it doesn’t make Bob and Nancy’s situation any less heartbreaking.

"It makes me feel bad because I want her down with me, and I know she can't be," Bob told NBC Connecticut. "I wouldn't want anybody else," he added. "I don't think she could put up with anybody else besides me."

But despite being barred from seeing each other on their anniversary, Bob tried to make the occasion special. Bob’s heartfelt sign, which he held up to the nursing home window so his wife could see, read: "I've loved you 67 years and still do. Happy Anniversary."

In the emotional exchange, Nancy blew a kiss and waved from the window to her long-time husband. Following their improvised, touching anniversary celebration, Bob and Nancy’s daughter Laura reflected on her parents' more-than-60-years of marriage, saying that she has learned a lot from the couple who have always shared a certain “sweetness”.

"It's just been an example for us, for all of us of kids,” Laura told NBC Connecticut. “So all four of us have really learned a lot from them and I can only hope that I have half as much as what they have shared over the years," Laura said.

Although the coronavirus pandemic has led to a lot of sacrifices — like that of Bob and Nancy’s — it has also shown the best side of humanity: our resilience, sense of community, and compassion. In that light, Bob’s commitment to his wife and his loving gesture is, as Laura describes it, an “inspiration”.

"They have always been an inspiration to us and I think just seeing every year go by that they still express it in some way on their anniversary," Laura added.

What do you think of Bob's heartwarming commitment to celebrating his anniversary? Let us know what you think, and pass this story on to your family and friends.