Woman Sells Everything She Owns To Keep A Promise

Arlington, WA – A 91-year-old woman sold everything she owned in order to keep a promise to her dead husband.

Elsie Smith made her husband, Joe, a promise before he died: That she would make sure that his body is buried instead of cremated. “I loved that man more than anything in this whole wide world,” she said of Joe, whom she met 46 years ago.

Unfortunately, Joe suffered from Alzheimer’s for the last two years, finally passing last Tuesday, reports MSN. Due to the high cost of his treatment, Elsie is nearly bankrupt, and holding an estate sale this weekend. She intends to sell everything she owns aside from a painting of Jesus Christ and some flowers.

“I love the things I have here, but if I can’t have them, I can’t have them,” she said.

At 91, Elsie has outlived all of her friends and relatives. She has no children. “No one to step up,” said Jessica Weatherby, her former caretaker. “I’m just a past caregiver, and I’m here to help as much as I can.”

Everything from jewelry to knickknacks will be sold by her to cover her promise to Joe.

“I’ve got to get rid of it,” she said. “I don’t want to, but I have to.”

Komono News reports that Elsie has about $9 to her name. The funeral will cost roughly $3,000. She has moved to Regency Care Center for full-time care.

“To me, he was the best man in the world,” she said.

If you’re moved by Elsie’s story and would like to donate to help her cover her husband’s funeral costs, you can do so at the Problem Solver’s fund.