Widower died after being knocked down on way to wife's grave

Jack Richardson, 88, was devoted to Eileen – his wife of 66 years – and had visited her grave twice-a-day without fail after her death aged 82 in 2010.

Mr Richardson was attempting to cross Flanshaw Road, in Wakefield, when he was struck by a car driven by Kelly Lucas on June 30 last year.

Lucas, 33, was sentenced to an 18-month community order at Leeds Crown Court after she admitted causing death by careless driving.

Mr Richardson’s son John, 69, of Flanshaw, Wakefield, said after the hearing: “I’ve lost a father. She is going to have to live with that for the rest of her life.

“I have a little bit of sympathy for her because he didn’t have very good eyesight didn’t my dad and he was a little bit deaf.”

Mr Richardson said his parents were inseparable, adding: “He met her when he was 14 and she was 14, He said to his mates at work ‘I’m going to marry her’ and he did.”

Mr Richardson said his father would make the hour long round-trip to the churchyard at St Paul’s, Alverthorpe, every morning and afternoon.

Mr Richardson said his father wanted to visit his wife’s grave more than twice daily, adding: “I had to stop him going sometime because he wanted to go three or four-times-a-day.

“He went in all weathers. He would go once in a morning and once in an afternoon without fail.”

Paying tribute to his father, who was a retired education welfare office at Wakefield Council, Mr Richardson said: “He was a very easygoing fella. He would do anything for anybody and everybody liked him.

“I have never heard a bad word against him. Everybody said he was a gentleman. He loved playing golf and had a lot of friends at Wakefield Golf Club at Sandal.”

Leeds Crown Court heard Mr Richardson would have been in the road for five seconds and should have been clearly visible to Lucas, who was travelling at just 24mph.