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Moving photo shows bride’s grandfather eating alone next to memorial for his late wife at wedding

Posted at 12:45 PM, Jul 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-10 12:45:57-04

(Sahrah Elswick/CNN)A

ALDERSON, West Virginia – A West Virginia bride captured a powerful image during her wedding: her grandfather sharing a moment alone with his late wife.

Sahrah Elswick told CNN that she was eating and talking with guests at her reception in Alderson, West Virginia, on Saturday when she saw him.

Her grandfather, Billy Gray, was sitting in front of a white rocking chair set up as a memorial to departed family members, including his late wife, Barbara. The chair was decorated with photos of the bride and groom’s departed loved ones, and a sign had been placed on the chair saying, “We know you would be here today if heaven wasn’t so far away.”

“I immediately burst out in tears,” she said. “I was heartbroken but in such awe at how pure their love was and is.”

She tweeted out the photo of him, writing “Pawpaw sat and ate with Mawmaw today at my wedding.”

The photos have since been retweeted nearly 20,000 times.

The memorial chair Sahrah Elswick set out at her wedding. (Sahrah Elswick/CNN)