A grieving widower paid for a young couple’s dinner before sending them a heart-warming note explaining his gesture.

Lee Ballantyne was dining alone for the first time since the death of his wife, Carol, last week at a restaurant in Barrie, Ontario, when he spotted the couple.

He said in the note, written on a napkin, the pair reminded him of when he and his wife were younger and wished them a happy new year.


‘You don’t know me, but my beautiful wife of 43 years died last week,’ he wrote following the death of his wife from cancer on December 30.



‘Tonight I dined alone for the first time. You remind me of us many years ago. Please allow me to buy your dinner. It will put a smile on Carol’s face and make me happy… for now.’

Carol and Lee Ballantyne were married for 43 years (Picture: Facebook)

A picture of the note was later uploaded online by a friend of the restaurant owner who had spoken to the couple.

Mr Ballantyne’s son, Jason, later confirmed the note was real after some of its 800,000 viewers began questioning its authenticity.

‘I know this won’t convince those who don’t want to believe it could be true but here’s the deal,’ he wrote.

‘Mom died on Dec. 30. Dad went to dinner last night and then told me this morning about what he did.

‘A friend sent us the link to the photo that had been uploaded here. It’s all true. That’s my dad’s abysmal handwriting.’