By YAZHOU SUNA World War II veteran cried today as he saidgood-bye to his buddy - a 3-year-old boy who became his pal, but is moving awaywith this family.“It’s going to be tough,” Erling Kindem, 89, saidbetween tears while speaking to ABC News today.Kindem's friendship with his next door neighborEmmett Rychner, 3, in Farmington, Minnesota, became a heartwarming story thatwent viral.But the boy is moving today to Northfield, Minnesota,and the veteran is moving with his ailing wife to a retirement center nextmonth.“He was in my yard yesterday and Iasked him:’ Emmett, you are moving pretty soon right?’” Kindem told ABC News."And he said, 'Yeah, we won’t be seeing each other again. It made me cry.”Kindem's retirement community will be 30miles away from Emmett's new home.Kindem had little interaction with his neighbor,Bryan and Anika Rychner for nearly a decade. At most, they’d exchange a smileor a wave in passing. Things took a change last year when Emmett struck up anunlikely friendship with Kindem over tomatoes.Since then Kindem has taught Emmett how to fix a bikeand throw a baseball. While Kindem has a green riding mower for his lawn, Emmetthas a toy mower, also green. The hung out together every day.“My wife is very sick,” Kindem said. “Imight be taking her to the emergency today.”“Our health has to come first,” Kindem said. “My wifehad a bypass surgery in February and she had two stents put in her heart.”Kindem said his 94-year-old wife is on Plavix anddoctors can’t do anything for her for another six months.“We’ll be moving by Sept. 15,” Kindem said. “When wehave an auction, we’ll sell many things in our house and our van.”“We raised five kids here,” Kindem said.Kindem said he would be going to Emmett's birthdayparty in October."Ever since Emmett started coming over, his dadopened up to me too," Kindem said. "It will be tough."