Donations pour in for widow, 91, set to sell everything to bury her husband



Elsie Smith could not afford to pay $3,000 to bury her late husband Joe

Widow, 91, had planned to sell everything she owned to cover the cost

Well-wishers touched by her plight have raised $12,000 to pay for funeral



A destitute elderly widow who could not afford to pay for her husband's burial has been presented with a cheque to cover the cost of the ceremony from well-wishers touched by her plight.

Elsie Smith, 91, was planning to sell everything she owned so that her beloved husband, Joe, could be buried in the same cemetery as their relatives in Snohomish, Washington.

Mrs Smith said she was 'dumbfounded' when she learned viewers who saw her story on a local news channel in Seattle had raised $12,000 to help pay for her late husband's burial.



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Bereaved: Elsie Smith, 91, was planning to sell everything she owned to pay for her late husband's burial

'Best man in the world': Elsie and Joe Smith were married for 46 years

Worldly possessions: Mrs Smith had said while she loved everything in her apartment, she would sell them in order to fulfill her husband's dying wish



Mr Smith, described by his wife of 46 years as 'the best man in the world', died on February 5th after a two year battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to ABCNews.com .

His wife, who was left with just $9 to her name, said Mr Smith's dying wish was that he not be cremated, and the widow set about her every possession to put towards the $3,000 burial costs.

Now thanks to the outpouring of support Mrs Smith can afford to lay her husband to rest alongside other members of their family.

'I don't know what to say, I'm just dumbfounded,' Mrs Smith told ABCNews.com.

Widow: Elsie Smith has no family to speak of following her husband Joe's death

Broke: Mrs Smith said she had just $9 to her name, yet burying her husband would cost $3,000

Sale: Mrs Smith has now left her tiny apartment in Washington and is living in a hospice full time



Dying wish: Mrs Smith said her husband had asked her not to let him be cremated after his death

Mrs Smith had said she had a hard life before meeting her husband 46 years ago.

Before learning of viewers' donations, she said she would do whatever it took to fulfill Mr Smith's last wish.

'I love my things here but if I can't have them, I can't have them,' she said, looking at her belongings in her tiny apartment. 'I've gotta get rid of it. I don't want to but I have to.'

Mrs Smith has now been moved full-time to hospice.



VIDEO Elsie Smith mourns the loss of the 'best man in the world'

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Smith steps outside her tiny apartment home using a walker as she prepares to sell everything inside