Daughters celebrate late father's memory by performing his signature dance every day
Mourning loved ones who have passed is a common practice across the globe but celebrating their memories is also a way to deal with grief. The best way to remember someone through the life they lived is to do things that they loved. This is why, a 53-year-old mom of 4 has carried forward a family tradition to honor the memory of her late husband.
Erin Bruce still recalls the first morning of her honeymoon when her late husband Tim stood up on the bed and broke into a hilarious dance routine. He would continue to dance for his family in the 30 years of marriage that followed, turning it into a family tradition. But Tim passed away all of a sudden on March 3, 2023, and left behind his mourning wife and children. They dealt with the grief in their individual ways but his daughters continued to dance every day in his memory.
"He literally stood on the bed the first morning and put Barry Manilow on and started lipsyncing and dancing. He was such a comedian, and I really was his biggest fan. He would dance everywhere we went, no matter where we were or if it was appropriate or not. He would even do it in the middle of the night if he got up for a minute," Bruce, who resides in Dallas, Texas, told Newsweek. She added how it makes her extremely happy to see her kids do their little dance every day in the memory of their father. Bruce can also "feel his personality and presence shine through the kids whenever she sees them dancing."
"It makes me so happy that they are emotionally able to feel and express this joy, and it's his personality coming through. After seeing him do it for 30 years, it feels as though his personality is still here and I can experience it," Bruce continued. "My kids do it naturally and I try to get my camera out before they're done. He created a constant stream of entertainment and they are just like him." Bruce continued to document her journey through grief and healing on her TikTok page @erinbrucexo. One video, which has over 2.7 million views, is a throwback to her husband dancing with her on their 30th wedding anniversary in Cancun just 4 weeks before he passed away.
In another video, Bruce's adult kids are seen dancing for her in the doorway just like her husband used to. She is also thrilled to see her videos getting love and positive responses from the online audience. She mentioned to Newsweek that "she only wishes that her late husband had been able to see how much his 30-year tradition meant to everyone around him." "It has brought such comfort to me to see his memory and legacy being witnessed by so many. The warmth I've received from the comments and messages has been so comforting to our entire family," Bruce shared. "He is the one who would be the most fascinated and entertained by how many people have witnessed it. I'm so happy that the world is seeing him, even though he's watching from heaven."
Follow @erinbrucexo on TikTok for more videos.