Roque “Rocky” Abalsamo begins his vigil.

Absalmo makes daily visits to his wife’s grave at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. The couple, who had met as teenagers in Buenos Aires, married in 1937, followed their grown children to the U.S., and settled in Boston in 1972. He subsequently explains, “She is part of me, so here I am whole. Being here makes me feel better. Not good, but better.” He continues his vigil until his son’s death in 2005, at which time he decides that he needs to spend more time with his remaining family. Abalsamo dies at age 97 in West Roxbury on January 22, 2014, and is buried alongside his wife.