A couple who have been married for an incredible 67 years were forced to celebrate their wedding anniversary separately due to the recent health crisis. Bob Shellard was unable to visit his wife Nancy at her Connecticut care home on March 14 as the facility wanted to protect its vulnerable residents from illness. However, he wasn’t going to let the day pass unnoticed and instead, he stood outside her window to show his love.
Due to coronavirus precaution, Bob Shellard isn't allowed to visit his wife in her Connecticut nursing home. So he stood outside her window and held up a sign that said "I've loved you 67 years and still do. Happy Anniversary." https://t.co/cIwZxwmZeN pic.twitter.com/nW86SYm4HU
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 16, 2020
- It’s difficult to be apart from loved ones but it’s necessary. While this is the first anniversary Bob and Nancy have spent apart, it’s understandable. We have to protect as many people’s health as possible, so keeping the most vulnerable safe has to be a top priority. Bob wasn’t going to let that stop him, however.
- Bob Shellard took the celebration outside Nancy’s window. He turned up with a handmade sign that said “I’ve loved you 67 years and still do. Happy Anniversary.” He also had a giant bundle of balloons to mark the celebration. Nancy saw and waved and blew kisses from her second-floor window. Can you handle the cuteness?
- It’s sad but at least they could see each other at all. Speaking to NECN, Bob Shellard admitted that he felt bad that he couldn’t spend the anniversary with Nancy face to face, especially since he values their relationship so much. “It makes me feel bad because I want her down with me, and I know she can’t be,” he said. “I wouldn’t want anybody else. I don’t think she could put up with anybody else besides me.”
- Bob and Nancy’s love is an inspiration to everyone. Even their children! One of their three children, Laura, revealed that she and her two siblings aspire to have the kind of love that their parents have one day, saying, “I can only hope that I have half as much as what they have shared over the years. They have always been an inspiration to us and I think just seeing every year go by that they still express it in some way on their anniversary.”
- Hopefully they can be reunited soon! Of course, the safety of the patients is of the utmost importance, but we can only hope that things get better soon so that families can be reunited.
