Animator and illustrator Gary Andrews began a “Doodle Diary” several years ago, where at the end of each day he would do a quick drawing based on something that had happened that day.
The diary (which he shares on social media) took on a special significance when his wife Joy died suddenly, leaving him and his two children behind.
During Gary’s trip home from Vancouver in October 2017, Joy suddenly passed on from sepsis without having the chance to say goodbye to her husband, leaving the former Disney artist devastated from the loss. The same day Joy passed on was the only day that Gary failed to complete a proper illustration for his daily personal project.
His sketches documenting this sudden loss have been put together in this touching tribute to her, followed by an interview where he talks about why he started the diary and how it helped him deal with his emotions following her death.
“The only day I missed was the day she died because I was actually in Vancouver when she got taken ill, so I had to fly back early,” Gary recounts in this interview with the BBC, “she died while I was in the air, so I didn’t do a drawing that day… all I could draw was a broken heart I couldn’t think of anything else to draw.”
