Our loved ones are with us, even when they are gone, as long as we keep their memory alive. For Clarence Purvis that means having a photo of his beloved late wife with him when he eats out.
The 93-year-old Georgia man lost his wife, Carolyn, four years ago. The two were married for 64 years, but his love and devotion for her has not diminished.
Each day, Clarence visits Smith’s Restaurant in Reidsville, Georgia, for his “lunch date” with his late wife. He makes sure to set a photo of Carolyn on the table next to him as he dines.
“Ain’t nobody loved one another more than me and my wife loved one another,” Purvis told his local news station WTOC. “I wanted what she wanted, and she wanted what I wanted. Eat lunch, come back, watch television, go to bed, love one another. What more you want?” Purvis continues. “We had everything we wanted.”
According to her obituary, Carolyn and Clarence met when she was just 16 years old in back in 1948. They had three children together, six grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. They also owned Purvis Garage, where Clarence fixed other people’s vehicles “better and cheaper than anyone else.”
Clarence is a regular patron of the restaurant, and comes in around 125 times a month. Restaurant owner Joyce James once asked him why he comes in so often he responded, “I love her that much. And miss her that much. And think she would with me.”
Although some people think Clarence’s gesture of mourning might be a bit much, Joyce says she has no problem with it and says Clarence is a a part of her restaurant.
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