Waffle House flooded with flowers for waitress who lost 'sweetheart'

MOUNT DORA, Fla. – A Waffle House waitress who recently lost her husband thought she would be spending Valentine's Day alone. Instead, thanks to the help of dozens of kind strangers, the waitress, known as "Miss Brenda," was overwhelmed with more love than she could've ever imagined.

Miss Brenda, who has worked at the Waffle House in Mount Dora for 36 years, was waiting on David Willis Tuesday morning when she reminded him to get flowers for his wife for Valentine's Day. Willis then found out that Miss Brenda had lost her "sweetheart" two months ago in an accident, and this would be her first Valentine's Day without him. 

"I might just go buy myself flowers after work tomorrow and say they're from my sweetheart," Miss Brenda told Willis, with tears in her eyes.

Willis knew he wanted to help make Miss Brenda's Valentine's Day special, so he decided to bring flowers to the restaurant the next day. He also put a post on Facebook asking anyone who wanted to deliver a flower to Miss Brenda and label them for her "sweetheart."

"I thought maybe a few of my friends would see it and add to my flower collection," Willis said. "I was shocked by the amount of people that responded." 

Willis's Facebook post was shared almost 200 times in just 24 hours.

Willis and his wife, along with some of the Waffle House staff, decorated the restaurant on Tuesday night with streamers and balloons in anticipation for Valentine's Day. When Miss Brenda walked into work on what she expected to be a heartbreaking day, she was greeted with several bouquets of flowers and cheesecake.

But the gifts didn't stop there, dozens of people in the community came by to give Miss Brenda gifts for Valentine's Day. So many, in fact, that the Waffle House manager had to make room in their dessert freezer to store all of the flowers. Balloons, cards and treats filled the front counter of the restaurant.

When Willis stopped by to drop off roses, he said Miss Brenda was completely overwhelmed by the love she had been shown on her first Valentine's Day without her sweetheart.

"She told with me tears in her eyes that she didn't want to come to work today because she felt an emptiness inside this morning," Willis said. "Miss Brenda said that emptiness was filled today by this kind gesture."

Willis said he knows that people often have their own plans, responsibilities and expectations for Valentine's Day, but he's happy that the community could come together to show someone real love on a day is often consumed my commercialism.