--- title: Husband Passes Away, Sends His Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day description: One woman got a huge surprise this Valentine’s Day when she received a bouquet of flowers from her husband who had recently passed away. canonical: https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-17T03:27:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:06.627Z og:title: Deceased Husband Sends Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day og:description: He plotted with the local florist to remind her that she will always be loved. og:url: https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53a4b4a935a3da6a/69877f8a06f2c154e1333fe9/roses-valentines-day.jpg?branch=production&width=655&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 655 og:image:height: 368 og:image:alt: Close up of bouquet of roses og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Deceased Husband Sends Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day twitter:description: He plotted with the local florist to remind her that she will always be loved. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53a4b4a935a3da6a/69877f8a06f2c154e1333fe9/roses-valentines-day.jpg?branch=production&width=655&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Husband Passed Away But Arranged to Send His Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=20ec9f2c-1e6a-4477-bd56-a1e080f66959&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=20ec9f2c-1e6a-4477-bd56-a1e080f66959&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=20ec9f2c-1e6a-4477-bd56-a1e080f66959&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: First Grade Valentines [Watch (HLS stream): First Grade Valentines](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dxn3NutC.m3u8) (2:35)  _Published 2010-02-10. Out of the mouths of babes, love is explained. Brooklyn first graders write and read their valentines and describe the meaning of Valentines Day_ by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Feb 17, 2015 3:27 AM UTC  Close up of bouquet of roses Close up of bouquet of roses Jamie Grill—Tetra images RF/Getty Images by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Feb 17, 2015 3:27 AM UTC A devoted husband took romance to an ethereal level on Valentine’s Day by sending his wife a bouquet of flowers from beyond the grave. Jim Golay, from Casper, Wyo., was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor almost exactly one year ago. He wanted to make Valentine’s Day special for his wife but he knew he wasn’t going to be around for much longer, reports KCWY13. So before he died, Golay hatched a plan with the local florists to send Shelley Golay a bouquet of flowers each Valentine’s Day for the rest of her life, just to remind her how much he loved her. “He’s such an amazing man and he just can love beyond boundaries,” Shelley Golay said. “There is no boundaries with him, even in death. He’s just amazing.” The flowers arrived two days before Valentine’s Day. When Shelley saw they were from her deceased husband, she phoned the florists and found out about his eternal Valentine’s Day plan. \[[_KCWY13_](http://www.kcwy13.com/home/headlines/Husband-Sends-Valentines-Flowers-to-Wife-After-Death-292009551.html)\] _Read next:_ [_Watch a Husband Surprise His Wife With the One Thing She Always Wanted_](http://time.com/3692555/husband-surprises-wife-with-england-dream-vacation/?xid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/"},"headline":"This Husband Passed Away But Arranged to Send His Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day","datePublished":"2015-02-17T03:27:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:06.627Z","description":"Now that is true love","url":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Death","Valentine's Day","Romance","Flowers","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53a4b4a935a3da6a/69877f8a06f2c154e1333fe9/roses-valentines-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53a4b4a935a3da6a/69877f8a06f2c154e1333fe9/roses-valentines-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Close up of bouquet of roses","caption":"Close up of bouquet of roses","creditText":"Jamie Grill—Tetra images RF/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/","name":"This Husband Passed Away But Arranged to Send His Wife Flowers Every Valentine's Day"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"First Grade Valentines","description":"Out of the mouths of babes, love is explained. Brooklyn first graders write and read their valentines and describe the meaning of Valentines Day","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dxn3NutC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-02-10T21:52:37.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dxn3NutC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/","duration":"PT2M35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3711433/flowers-valentines-day-jim-golay-dead/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```