A photo of a grieving man saying farewell to his wife as he sits next to her casket has gone viral, with the photographer getting support from the man's family to share the picture as a story of love.
April Yurcevic Shepperd shared her experience of seeing Bobby Moore saying goodbye to his wife of 59 years in a Jan. 31 Facebook post called "I Witnessed a Story of Love."
"In such a world as ours, where vows are broken as quickly as the downing of a gavel, what I saw today was a rarity, a diamond exquisite in design," wrote Shepperd. "Today I saw a man, a broken man, standing vigil over his most prized possession. Here was love personified."
Moore arrived an hour before family visitation hours were set to begin and sat with his wife, rubbing her arms and patting her hands.
According to Shepperd, Moore stayed by his deceased wife's side for five hours. He spoke glowingly of his wife while holding her hand when his family arrived.
"She looks good, doesn't she?" said Moore.
In the post, Shepperd wondered what was in Moore's future after the sad day.
"This man, this devoted man, had shown more grace in his time of grief than many do in times of plenty. I stood by in awe, watching faithfulness on display," said Sheppard. "Never had I seen a man so broken, robbed of his happiness by the curse of death. I wondered as I watched him, what would he do tomorrow and the day after that? Today was the easy part."
Moore's family welcomed Shepperd's post, hoping the message would help grant healing to others.
"Today, I witnessed a story of love." Shepperd finished. "And I shall witness it again tomorrow when the story finally ends, and the stage is empty, and the lights go dark."
WAGA was the first to share Shepperd's incredible love story.
Writer’s Note: At the request of the Bobby Moore and his family, I am sharing this narrative and photograph. This story...
Posted by April Yurcevic Shepperd on Wednesday, January 31, 2018