A grieving man recently widowed was so moved by seeing a young couple enjoying each other's company while out dining on Tuesday that he paid for their meal in a very generous ‘pay it forward’ gesture. The heart-warming incident happened at an unnamed restaurant in Barrie, Ontario, where Lee Ballantyne was dining alone for the first time since his wife Carol had passed away from cancer on December 30. As Lee watched the young couple and reflected on his 43 years of marriage he was so inspired that he wrote the couple a touching note on a napkin and paid their check.
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Lee Ballantyne lost his wife of 43 years, Carol, to cancer at the end of last year
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On Tuesday he was dining alone at a local restaurant in Barrie, Ontario, when he spotted a young couple who reminded him of happier times
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In a generous 'pay it forward' gesture he got their check and wrote them a note on a napkin to explain that it would put a smile on his wife's face
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A photo of the napkin was posted on Reddit and caused a flurry of responses, many from people who questioned if it was all a fake
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This promoted the Ballantyne's son Jason to respond to the internet trolls
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'Not only is the story true but it's about real people dealing with a devastating loss,' he wrote
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High school sweethearts Carol and Lee married in 1970 and have three sons
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Carol was diagnosed with lung cancer last Sept and she died on Dec 30
‘I know this won't convince those who don't want to believe it could be true but here's the deal,’ wrote @placeholder.