A man who became famous for eating lunch with a picture of his late wife sadly passed away at the age of 97 after years of displaying unwavering love.
As reported by WTOC in 2017, a then 93-year-old Clarence Purvis was photographed eating at a restaurant with a picture of his late wife Carolyn.
The photo was taken in Reidsville and it quickly circulated across social media as many were touched with Clarence's dedication to his wife as he demonstrated that love never truly dies.
Clarence met Carolyn when she was 16 years old in 1948 and he swept her off of her feet. They married a year later and spent the rest of their days journeying through life together.
For the final 13 years of her life, the couple dined at Smith's Restaurant for lunch and quickly became much loved regulars.
"Ain't nobody loved one another more than me and my wife loved one another," Clarence told WTOC. "I wanted what she wanted and she wanted what I wanted."
Sadly, Carolyn passed away in 2013 but that didn't stop her husband from going for lunch with her, as he took her picture wherever he went.
On top of this, he drove to visit her grave at least four times a day, as he recounted the days he spent with his love: "Eat lunch, come back, watch television, go to bed, love one another. What more you want? Go to church. We had everything we wanted."
When asked why he dedicates so much time to his late wife, he replied: "I love her that much. And miss her that much. And think she would with me."
When he visited Carolyn's grave, Clarence dropped to his knees and said: "I love you, baby. I wish you could go home with me. Come on let's go. You can't go or you would, wouldn't you? I would stay in your place. "
Sadly, Clarence has since passed away as reported by WTOC, and his loved ones gathered to remember the man who showed that love never dies.
"He became world-known just to show his love for his wife, how much she meant to him," his daughter Dianne Knight said.
"That’s what this world needs today. The kind of love that they had for one another," Dianne continued, with his son Dale adding: "The pictures of him after momma passed, you hardly saw him smile. As opposed to when we had pictures of him before. But now he’ll be smiling all the time."
Clarence's children have found peace knowing that he has been reunited with the love of his life, and it's clear that they will be having lunch together again.
