LANCASHIRE, UK — The simple act of lying next to the image of a spouse who has passed away can bring comfort to widowers and widows everywhere. The image allows widows and widowers to talk to their spouse or reminds them they are still being watched over by the person they vowed to hold onto "until death do they part."
Each night, that image gives widows and widowers the chance to look into the eyes of the person they loved and hold onto to them.
Ken Benbow, 94, is a World War II Royal Navy veteran who served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war, including on D-Day.
Shortly after leaving the Navy in 1946, he met his wife, Ada. For more than seven decades, the couple shared a happy and loving marriage.
In August 2019, Ada passed away at 93. Since that day, Benbow went to sleep each night with a picture of Ada next to him.
Ken Benbow now resides at a nursing home in Lancashire, England. He developed a friendship with 17-year-old Kia Tobin, who began working at the facility to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her conversations with Benbow, Tobin learned of his long marriage to Ada, and the couple's undying love for each other. She also saw Ken falling asleep next to his wife's picture each night.
As a small gesture of love, Tobin ordered a pillow to be made featuring the image of Ada Benbow. Unlike the hard edges of the picture frame, the soft pillow will allow to hug and hold his wife, providing physical comfort alongside the emotional comfort of his wife by his side.
The nursing home filmed the moment the teenage care worker gave the pillow to the elderly veteran. Upon seeing the face of Ada, Ken Benbow let out a spontaneous shout of pure joy then broke into tears as tightly clung to the pillow.
Tobin then wrapped her arms around her friend in a moment of pure agape love.
You can watch the heartwarming moment below:
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