Bob Waters never did get his anniversary dinner at Olive Garden.
And that may be the saddest part of this story.
You see, the 84-year old Bob had planned on taking his wife to Olive Garden to celebrate 60 years of marriage.
But she was not well, to the point where she was taken out of the couple’s Ross Street home and placed in Twinbrook Medical Center to rehabilitate.
The retired tool-and-die operator would visit her and I imagine he would talk about the day when she would be well enough for them to share a little pasta at the popular Upper Peach Street chain.
And she was getting better, raising hopes that the day would be close at hand.
But at the end of March, Bob, who was now living alone in his home, heard a knock at the door.
He opened it to find three men, one of whom he recognized as someone looking to do odd jobs around the neighborhood.
They pushed their way in and Bob tried to grab a nearby knife.
But younger usually means faster, and one of the men grabbed a mop handle and smacked Bob squarely in the face, then hitting him again in the shoulder and the ribs.
Lying face down in his own blood, Bob grabbed at a little pendant around his neck.
It was a home alert system that set off an alarm.
The three ran off, with Bob’s credit card and a family safe that was found a short distance away, the contents still intact.
The card was later used to buy bus tickets, which helped lead police to three arrests.
I met Bob in his hospital bed, nursing a fat lip, broken ribs and a sore shoulder.
He joked about why someone would rob a man who was never sure if he’d be able to pay his gas bill month-to-month.
He lamented a neighborhood that used to contain his friends but now have “just people living next door.”
And he was optimistic, that he and his wife would both get better, and make their Peach Street restaurant date at long last.
It wasn’t to be.
Bob Waters died this week following a massive stroke Saturday.
His family is convinced his injuries contributed to his death but the doctors aren’t so sure.
Eighty-four year old men can die without having been beaten, and police are trying to determine if more serious charges can be proven.
I don’t know what your Olive Garden moment is, but I would strongly suggest you take it when you get the chance.
Bob’s story is proof that not everyone does.