Grieving widow comforted after care home makes cushion out of husband's shirt

A care worker made a grieving widow happy by transforming her husband’s shirt into a cushion for her to hug at night.

Married for 70 years, Joyce Beckett was used to holding the hand of her husband every night until he died on February 11.

The sleepless nights she experienced in Richmond Village in Northampton following his death, led to the care home's activities coordinator Chris Rayett-Howard turning her loved one’s old shirt into a cushion.

Joyce wept with happiness when she was given the cushion made out of one of her husband John's favourite shirts.

Claire Fry, the senior village adviser at Richmond Villages in Northampton, said staff were emotional as they watched on.

"She recognised what it was and she was very tearful. A lot of other staff who were on a training day were there as well and they had tears in their eyes and were getting emotional too. It is in her bedroom now and is always kept close to her."

Bearing the words ‘This is a shirt I used to wear, whenever you hold it know that I am there’, the yellow and black checked shirt has a picture of Joyce’s husband John on the breast pocket.

Joyce Beckett, 93, who has dementia, may not remember what she ate at lunch but according to her son David Beckett, ‘she certainly remembers that cushion. She has been talking about it this morning. “It has had a huge impact on her."

David Beckett added: “What Chris has done with that cushion epitomises what the care is like from every single person at Richmond. They care like a big family.’

Speaking of his parents he said: “It was a very loving relationship. They doted on each other”.

Even in the last six weeks of John’s life, Joyce and John were only 50ft apart from each other on the same floor of the care home.

But their life together was almost scuppered before it had begun. Aged 20, John was drafted in 1945 to serve in the Far East.

The prospect of John facing the horrors of war far from home led to the couple hastily marrying on 18 August 1945. Fortunately for the couple, three days before the wedding the Japanese surrendered and John no longer had to go to war.

Joyce and John celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last August which drew congratulations from the Queen.

Photographs of the moment Mr Rayatt-Howard gave Mrs Beckett the cushion have been posted on Facebook and have received more than 21,500 hits.

Claire Fry added: "'I put a few photos on our page and was shocked when later than night it had reached over 2,000 people.

"The reaction from people has been quite overwhelming to the point that we are getting requests to make cushions."