A husband who longed for his wife’s company moved into her home after being separated for months. Their first meeting was a tearful moment as he slowly knelt down to kiss his wife for the first time in a long time.

It’s never easy to break up with a loved one, especially one who’s been with you for decades! When you marry someone, you promise to be together through thick and thin, in sickness and in health. However, there are just some circumstances that are out of your control and sometimes you have no choice but to break up.

The COVID-19 pandemic has separated families for months, a heartbreaking reality for Louis Tunnicliffe, 84, and his wife Barbara, 81. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Barbara had to be put into a nursing home in order to get the proper care she needed.

Man surprises woman by entering her home, kneels down to kiss her in tears after months apart

Longing for each other

Every week, Lewis would visit his wife at the nursing home, hug her and show her his love in every possible way. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, his weekly visits changed and a glass screen always separated him and Barbara.

Lewis and Barbara longed for each other during the months apart. It was the longest they had ever been apart. Since their marriage in 1960, they were separated for a few days at most.

Man surprises woman by entering her home, kneels down to kiss her in tears after months apart

Finally, eight months after their split, Lewis was reunited with his wife and no longer had to look at her through a glass screen – and from the moment they held each other again, it was a tearful but inspiring sight. to everyone around them.

Lewis was nervous because he wasn’t sure Barbara would recognize him. He even made sure to shave and dress nicely for their first date in a long time.

Man surprises woman by entering her home, kneels down to kiss her in tears after months apart

Their touching reunion

Lewis, who suffered from dementia and struggled to care for himself at home, eventually moved into the same house as his wife, as his family decided. Although it was for the best for him, one of the main reasons he joined the nursing home was his wife, Barbara, with whom he would finally be.

On the day of their reunion, Louis walked over to Barbara, who was sitting in her chair. Louis then said to his wife:

“You are beautiful. My love, oh, I have waited so long for this. Now I will stay here.”

The former car salesman was in tears as he knelt down and gave his wife a passionate kiss on the lips, the two lovingly holding their faces together. It was the reunion they had been waiting for, and it was everything and more than they could have ever imagined.

Man surprises woman by entering her home, kneels down to kiss her in tears after months apart

The couple’s beautiful life together

Louis and Barbara first met in 1958 before marrying in 1960. Together they had two daughters and four grandchildren, and worked as car salesmen and nurses until their retirement.

Their children couldn’t be happier to no longer be apart, and one of their daughters, Sam Jackson, asked the nursing home staff to film their long-awaited reunion. Sam discovered that her father was so nervous about his reunion with Barbara that he couldn’t sleep the night before.

Man surprises woman by entering her home, kneels down to kiss her in tears after months apart

Live happily ever after

Apparently, Lewis was nervous because he wasn’t sure Barbara would recognize him. He even made sure to shave and dress nicely for their first date in a long time. After the tearful reunion, he said it was “like having their first date all over again”.

It wasn’t just Louis who was preparing for the reunion. Although Barbara had no idea Lewis was coming, the nursing home girls helped him look his best by doing his hair and nails.

From that day, Louis and Barbara were never separated. They spend every day eating together, just sitting together and holding hands.

Nursing home staff have been inspired by the lovely couple, noting that “one of the best parts of caregiving is looking after moments like this”. Now Lewis and Barbara are living happily ever after!