91 year old woman receives support to bury husband

A 91-year-old Arlington, Wash., widow who had no money to bury her husband has received an outpouring of support to help her fulfill her final promise to her lifelong love.

With just $9 to her name, Elsie Smith planned to sell every possession she had to bury her husband, Joe Smith, in the same cemetery as their family members in Snohomish, Wash.

Smith’s story touched a nerve, and on Monday, she was presented with a $12,000 check by ABC News’ Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV after people called the station to donate.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m just dumbfounded,” Smith said, after finding out her husband’s burial was taken care of.

Joe Smith passed away at age 88 on Feb. 5. For the past two years, he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, KOMO reported.

The couple had been married for over 46 years, Smith said. The two met through her niece’s husband, who was a co-worker of his at the time.

“I loved that man more than anything in this whole wide world,” she said.