The inspiring image of an elderly widower dining alongside a framed photo of his beloved late wife captured hearts worldwide when it was posted on the internet. It was love at first sight for now 87-year-old John Silva and wife Hilda when they first met as teenagers at a ballpark in New Bedford, Mass.
In a scene right out of a romantic comedy, a teammate threw John the ball but he muffed the easy catch. Fate kindly rolled it to the feet of Hilda. He doffed his cap to her. She blew him a kiss. Sadly, they lost each other in the teeming crowds.
“In my heart this was the woman I wanted to marry but I had no idea who she was,” John told The ENQUIRER. “When people would ask me if I had a girlfriend, tears would come to my eyes because I did – I just didn’t know where to find her again.” It would be a decade until they met again in 1953.