When Fred Stobaugh's wife of 73 years passed away, he was heartbroken.
And when he saw a newspaper advertisement for a singer-songwriter contest, the 96-year-old Illinois man couldn't help but pen a song dedicated to his late wife.
Green Shoe Studio, a recording studio in East Peoria, Illinois, was behind the contest seeking local musicians to upload their content to YouTube and send them a link.
Not only did Stobaugh lack musical experience, he wasn't one to post videos online.
But that didn't stop him from entering the contest.
Unlike all the other digital entries, Stobaugh sent an old-fashioned letter to the studio, recounting he and his wife Lorraine's long love affair.
Producer Jacob Colgan says they were so touched by Stobaugh's story that they decided to record his song professionally.
A nine-minute documentary produced by the recording studio about Stobaugh and Lorraine has gone viral, tugging at heartstrings everywhere.
In the video, Stobaugh recalls the 75 years he spent with Lorraine, starting with their first meeting in 1938, at an East Peoria, Illinois root beer stand where she was a car hop.
Stobaugh sweetly recalls in the video: "She was the prettiest girl I ever saw. I just fell in love with her right there."
Green Shoe Studio set Stobaugh's lyrics to music and recorded the song with a professional singer.
The result? A country song titled 'Oh Sweet Lorraine':
