Dan Peterson dies years after his heart-warming friendship with little girl saved the lonely widower

When Norah Wood, right, four, saw widower Dan Peterson,left, 82, alone in a supermarket in Georgia she said ‘Hi old person!’ Since that first meeting in 2016, the two developed a life-changing friendship

An old man who was befriended by a little girl in a Georgia grocery store has died, four years after their unlikely friendship saved him from depression.

Dan Peterson, 86, passed away last month, but it was the chance meeting in a supermarket by a little girl called Norah, that gave his life new meaning. 

The youngster was just four at the time of their encounter in 2016 as mom, Tara Wood, wheeled around her shopping cart in a Publix store.

At one point during the shopping trip, Norah passed an older man who was all by himself.

The old man looked stern and cold, until Norah shouted: ‘Hi, old person! It’s my birthday today!’

The man suddenly stopped and his demeanor changed from distant and serious to warm and friendly.

‘How old are you today?’ the man asked.

After some time together talking, Norah asked her mom to take a picture of her with her new friend, Dan ‘Mr Dan’ Peterson, then aged 82, before she asked him for a hug.

The pair’s first meeting was even caught on store surveillance cameras as Norah yelled out

Norah’s visits to Mr Dan continued for several years. Here they are pictured together in 2019

Mr Dan’s wife had died in March 2016 and he had been suffering from depression and anxiety ever since until he met Norah and the pair formed the most unlikely bond

After meeting Norah, Mr Dan’s life changed and he said Norah had shown him a type of love he didn’t know existed. The pair shared countless hugs together before a final one, last month

The pair spent a great deal of time together. Mr Dan is picture with Norah in his garden

‘A hug?! Absolutely!’, Dan said. 

‘And his little lip quivered and he was teared up and it was just sweet,’ Tara said to CBS News.

‘You don’t know. This is the first time for quite a while that I’ve been this happy,’ Dan said to Tara.  

The pair hugged and after a further ten minutes went their separate ways.

Tara posted the picture of her daughter and Mr Dan on Facebook and someone who recognized him reached out to her with his contact information.

It turned out Mr Dan’s wife had died in March 2016 and he had been suffering from depression and anxiety ever since.

Pictures on mom Tara’s Facebook show the pair enjoying life together, from exchanging stuffed animals and sharing lots of hugs

Mr Dan was even there at Norah’s kindergarten graduation ceremony 

When it was Mr Dan’s 82nd birthday, the pair would celebrate with  balloons, presents – and, of course, cupcakes

The pair shared countless hugs and laughs along the way 

But after connecting with Norah, Mr Dan’s life changed. He said that Norah showed him the type of love he didn’t know existed.

For the next four years, Norah would visit Mr Dan every single week as they developed a friendship unlike any other, until he died last month at the age of 86.

‘I’m saddened to share with you the passing of our dear Mr. Dan,’ Tara wrote on Facebook. 

‘Unsurprisingly, the timing was just as extraordinary and remarkable as Norah and Mr. Dan’s initial meeting…we’d spent the morning with him just the day before. He was in good spirits, joyful, and happy. He had a belly full of pancakes and a heart full of love.

Dan credits the youngster with giving him a new reason to live. Even his family say it gave him another four more years of life after the death of his wife, Mary, in 2016

Mr Dan met Norah just six months after his wife Mary had passed away leaving him depressed

Mr Dan was grateful for the love and friendship of Tara and Norah. ‘She has shown me a depth of love, a depth I didn’t know existed,’ Mr Dan said

A picture from the original chance meeting in 2016 when Norah asked for a hug

‘I want to thank you all for being part of Norah and Mr. Dan’s beautiful friendship. Your comments, cards, letters and gifts certainly made him feel beloved and cherished. He was grateful for and appreciated every one of you,’ Tara wrote online.

Mr Dan was similarly grateful for the love and friendship of Tara and Norah. ‘She has shown me a depth of love, a depth I didn’t know existed,’ Mr Dan told CNN.

Pictures on Tara’s Facebook show the pair enjoying cupcakes together, exchanging stuffed animals and sharing lots of hugs.

‘It was the first thing she did when we walked in,’ Tara said. ‘It was the last thing she did when we left.’ 

Norah and her mom, Tara, attended a memorial service for Mr Dan last month in Georgia

The memorial was both happy and sad for the pair as they remembered Mr Dan fondly

The pair celebrated birthdays together, while Mr Dan would often be invited round to Norah’s house for Thanksgiving with her family.

Mr Dan was there for her kindergarten graduation, while Norah was often close by to walk in his garden. 

‘If you just take the time to notice people, you never know how you can positively impact a life,’ Tara said. 

Before meeting the little girl, Mr Dan said that he hadn’t had one night of uninterrupted sleep.

Anxiety would keep him up at all hours of the night which would make him restless. but after meeting Norah, he finally found solace and slept soundly.

‘I think it was just humanity at it’s best: To love and to be loved,’ Tara said. 

As Norah grew up, she would always find time to visit Mr Dan. They brought joy to one another

This is the final photo taken of Mr Dan with Norah, left, and her sister, Marigold, right. Mr Dan passed away the following day, but he died knowing he was loved by some very special girls

‘If you just take the time to notice people, you never know how you can positively impact a life,’ Norah’s mother Tara Wood said. ‘I think it was just humanity at it’s best: To love and to be loved.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk