A 93-year-old widower from Glennville, Georgia, still lovingly sets lunch dates with his late wife by bringing along a photograph of her when he eats at his favorite restaurant.
Clarence Purvis met Carolyn Todd in 1948. The two quickly fell in love and married the very next year, spending the next 63 years together until her death in late 2013.
“Eat lunch, come back, watch television, go to bed, love one another. What more you want?” Purvis told WTOC. “We had everything we wanted.”
Since her passing, Purvis has devoted much of his time to keeping Carolyn’s memory alive, and he isn’t the least bit shy when it comes to expressing his love for her. In fact, he has become a little famous around his city in Southern Georgia for carrying around a framed photograph of Carolyn, which he sits it next to him while eating at his favorite restaurant, Smith’s Diner.
“She was always with me when we were livin’,” Purvis told the news station as he enjoyed a meal at Smith’s. “She’s with me now.”
Many people have felt compelled to give Purvis advice to help him as he grieves, and have even suggested that getting a girlfriend might help.
“They said if I get me a girlfriend things will be better,” he said. “I could ask her, could I get me a girlfriend? You know what she’d say? If you want too. That’s how we operated.”
His devotion has left many people in awe, including Smith’s Restaurant owner, Joyce James.
“I asked my husband, I said, ‘You know if something happened to me, will you put my picture on the table?’ He said, ‘I don’t think so dear.’ He said, ‘I love you but, that might be a little much,’ ” James told WTOC.
In his home, Purvis keeps a collection of photos and mementos of his sweetheart, such as a lamp that has remained turned on since Carolyn came out of the hospital five months before she passed. A picture of her rests right beneath it.
“Ain’t nobody loved one another more than me and my wife loved one another,” Purvis said. “I wanted what she wanted and she wanted what I wanted.”
While Purvis keeps busy doing yard work around his town, he takes a trip to the Glenville Cemetery to visit his love at least four times a day.
“I imagine I come 125 times a month,” he said. “I love her that much. And miss her that much. And think she would with me.”
