Bud Caldwell visits his wife's memorial bench in Lakeside Park every day. But during the winter, the heavy Wisconsin snowfall makes it difficult for him. So on those days, he speaks to her from his car stopped near the park.

That is until two thoughtful park employees noticed him sitting there. They came to Bud's assistance and shoveled a path so he could make his way to the bench and the plaque displaying his wife's photograph.

The story behind Caldwell's routine is truly amazing. Every day for the past two years, the 82-year-old visits the memorial bench he bought to honor his late wife Betty. They spent 56 years together.

He brings a daisy, which he leaves for her to commemorate one of their favorite songs: "Daisy a Day." He also leaves a penny on top of the bench, to honor their other favorite tune, "Pennies from Heaven." He then speaks to her for a few minutes, telling her about his day.

Last year, when the Wisconsin snow was particularly heavy, Caldwell tried to make it to the memorial bench but slipped and fell. Afterward, he decided he would stay in his car during inclement weather and talk to Betty from there.

Memorial bench cleared by park workers

But that all changed when Jerrod Ebert and Kevin Shultz from the Fond du Lac Parks and Forestry department spotted him in his vehicle. They knew about his daily ritual. The two grabbed some shovels and cleared the walkway to the bench so Bud could make it through and speak to his wife's photo.  When the elderly man reached the spot and dropped off the usual daisy and penny, all three of them became teary-eyed.

From that day on, Ebert and Shultz assured Bud the path would always be clear for him.

Sometimes city and park employees receive a lot of flak from the public. Especially in bad weather when everybody needs everything all at once. But it's these little gestures of kindness from public employees that generally go by unseen. In this case, fortunately, the media picked up on the story and it circulated nationwide.

What the two park employees did was not a major park project, like adding a new playground or creating a new hiking trail. But for one husband and wife who meet every day at a memorial bench, it makes all the difference in the world.

To see a link to the story from the local CBS TV station, click here (video is above).

For memorial benches for parks and park benches for sale from The Park Catalog, click here.