A widower after 42 years of marriage, Roger Smith, of McDowell, found himself without anyone to give a rose on Valentine’s Day, so he started an outside-the-box tradition to fill the void.

Smith is turning 80 in March, and the idea came to him about 8 years ago.

“I buy a dozen roses, and between McDowell and Purdy, I give a rose to widows and one old maid, and to two women in a Monett nursing home who used to live by me,” he said. “I thought, I didn’t have anybody to buy roses for, and they didn’t have anyone to buy roses for them.”

Smith said all the recipients are friends or neighbors, and over the years, he has sometimes given as many as two dozen roses in his small slice of Barry County.

“We moved here in 1968, so some of them have known me all of my life,” he said. “The first time I did it, they all liked it and were very surprised.”

While Smith’s consistency may have worn the surprise aspect, the enjoyment of the moment has never waned.

“He does not know how blessed he is,” said Sue Smith, who married Roger 2-1/2 years ago. “One of them always gives him a hug, and over the years, he’s lost some and gained some others. Some of the women are up in their 90s.”

Smith said even before he was remarried, his flowery gift, which also comes with a Hershey’s Kiss chocolate, always came with a disclaimer.

“I always tell them, ‘There’s no feelings here, and this is just because you’re a widow,” he said. “One year, I asked one woman if she wanted a kiss and she started backing away, then I handed her the chocolate and she realized it was a candy kiss.”

Smith also gives candy kisses to mothers on Mother’s Day, and candy hugs to fathers on Father’s Day.

“I wasn’t going to give a bunch of men kisses,” he said.

Sue Smith said the first Valentine’s Day she shared with Roger, he told her about his tradition, and she did not bat an eye, not too much anyway.

“Our first Valentine’s, he told me he does this, and I thought it was such a sweet thing — but I said, ‘I’m going with you.’” “Now, I tell all the wid- ows I’m a married man again,” Roger said.

Sue said she typically stays in the car while Roger presents the roses outside, and some of the women venture out to talk to her.

“They are always glad to get it,” she said. “It’s really sweet to see. Some come to the door with their walkers or canes, and it’s just sweet to watch.”

Living in a small community, Smith hopes the annual act brings joy to the recipients and keeps old memories alive.

“I’m just glad I can do it, and I never give [how it makes me feel] much thought,” he said. “It would be nice if others did something like this. So many people get forgotten. Some of them I think don’t see anyone but their families from year to year.

“I guess the older you get, the more you appreciate the people around you. A lot are gone, and what’s left are just precious memories.”

Having remarried, Roger also knows where his appreciation begins.

“[Sue] always gets the first pick of the dozen,” he said.