My dad died at 43. His friend texts me every year a photo of the last beers they shared together.

"For the last 39 years, I've had the same photo either emailed or texted to me on every single February 18 th, the date my dad died. It's a photo of an old, unopened can of Miller Lite sitting in the fridge, from my dad's best friend, Tommy. It's from the last pack of beers they shared together. My dad would watch us play on the street"

"I adored my dad as a teenager, but we hadn't always been close. As a young child, I don't remember seeing my dad a lot - he was always working at the factory or at sporting events after dinner. I often wondered where he was. But when my mom moved to Florida when I was 14 to open a restaurant, traveling back and forth between the two locations, it forced my dad and me into a closer relationship."

Denise, age 52 and now living in England, previously lived in Niagara, New York. Each February 18 for 39 years she receives a photo from her dad's friend Tommy of an unopened can of Miller Lite from the last pack they shared, marking the date her dad died. As a teenager, her dad and Tommy sat in lawn chairs in the open garage with beers, providing a running commentary while neighborhood kids played. Her dad worked long hours at a factory and sporting events, and closeness grew after her mother moved to Florida when Denise was 14. They bonded over watching football, repeated pizza dinners, and her dad learning to cook, including a celebrated Fettuccini Alfredo.

Read at Business Insider