Husband visits wife’s grave daily for seven years
Romantic movies such as Titanic and The Notebook never fail to leave us in a teary mess. Though we all love a good fictional love story, there’s nothing that warms our hearts like a real life one.
Take this story of a man in Penang, who has been visiting his late wife’s grave every morning for the past seven years – he wakes up as early as 7AM to visit the cemetery where she was laid to rest.
Has not missed a single day
Mr Loo Khai Oon’s story was shared by The Star on 6th April 2022.
The 62-year-old retired crane operator from Penang told the English-language newspaper that he would travel a distance of about 15KM from his house in Batu Lanchang to the United Hokkien Cemeteries in Paya Terubong, where his late wife is buried.
Every day without fail, he would be at the cemetery at 7AM to visit his wife.
Image (for illustration purposes only) credit: Caroline Attwood / Unsplash
This has been part of his daily morning routine for the past seven years. They were together for almost 34 years.
He would bring with him a particular set of items whenever he visits – paper offerings, a portable speaker for prayers, a pair of scissors to trim the grass and weeds surrounding the grave, and a cloth to wipe the tombstone. Along with these, he would bring along a container of food and a tumbler of her favourite coffee as a breakfast offerings to his wife.
After spending about two hours at the cemetery, Mr Loo would then head to the gym and rest at home. Occasionally, he would return to the cemetery again after that, jogging over from his house if the Malaysian weather permits.
“I have not missed a single day”, the doting husband shared with The Star. “It has become a habit for me, and I will feel uneasy if I do not come and see her at least once every day”.
They were each other’s first love
In a video interview with The Star, Mr Loo recounted his memories of his late wife. He was only 22 years old and his wife was 18 when they had first met through her father-in-law, who was also a close friend of his back then.
She was his first love, and he was hers. They dated for about six years before tying the knot on Christmas Day, 25th December 1988 – which also happened to be the date of her funeral. Hence, the season is often a bittersweet one for Mr Loo.
In the video, he recalled the days that he spent with her when she was still around with fondness. She was a simple, kind, gentle and selfless woman and a pillar of support to him. No one truly knew him like she did, and he was thankful to have experienced life with her by his side.
Apart from being a loving wife, she was also a devoted mother to their five children, who are now adults between the ages of 20 to 32.
“She was diagnosed with leukaemia and just two months after, she passed away”, Mr Loo shared with The Star. “I was with her throughout her treatment. She was only 52”.
As a testament of his great love for her, he had his late wife’s face tattooed on his chest, so that he could feel as if she is always with him.
A touching love story to witness
Mr Loo’s dedication to his late wife’s memory is indeed remarkable and moving. It is a love story that only a few lucky ones are able to experience in their lives.
It’s never easy to lose someone so close and meaningful to you. We wish Mr Loo all the best as he keeps up his act of love which is inspiring and touching to witness.
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Cover image adapted from: Ivan Samkov / Pexel (for illustration purposes only) & The Star