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Eldridge Toney is mourning Anna Cardwell.
Despite this unthinkable loss, his life continues. That doesn’t mean that he has forgotten his dearly departed wife.
Following Anna’s tragic death, Eldridge has fought for custody of his stepdaughter, processed the grief of losing his 29-year-old wife, and given himself permission to “move forward.”
Part of that, it seems, includes dating again.
Eldridge Toney will always love Anna Cardwell
This week, Eldridge Toney took to Instagram as he continues to process the passing of his late wife, Anna Cardwell.
Anna “Chickadee” passed away in December of 2023.
She was only 29 years old, and died less than a year after receiving her cancer diagnosis.
When Anna died, she left behind daughters Kaitlyn and Kylee.
Only after she passed away, the world learned that Anna had married Eldridge in March of that year, a short time after her cancer was first discovered.
The two had begun dating on 2017.
Now, Eldridge is a widower. He is also a stepfather to Kaitlyn.
And he is taking a major, difficult step.
‘Healing doesn’t mean forgetting’
“Losing my wife was the hardest chapter of my life,” Eldridge Toney wrote on Instagram about Anna Cardwell. “The grief, the silence, and the empty spaces she once filled were overwhelming.”
He admitted: “There were days I didn’t think I’d ever feel whole again.”
That is tragically common for those in mourning.
“But healing doesn’t mean forgetting,” Eldrige affirmed. “It means honoring the love we shared while finding the strength to keep living — truly living.”
“She would have wanted that,” Eldridge emphasized.
“Not for me to stay in sorrow, but to smile again, love again, and build something meaningful from the pain.”
He expressed: “I carry her memory with me every day — not as a weight, but as a reminder of how deeply I was loved and how deeply I can love in return.”
Eldridge very wisely affirmed: “Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving her behind. It means letting her love inspire how I live today and every day after.”
‘Healing has no timeline’
“To anyone facing similar pain: be gentle with yourself,” Eldrige Toney counseled, informing people from his own experience in grieving Anna Cardwell.
“Healing has no timeline,” he concluded. “But hope, joy, and love can return — even if it looks different than before. Here’s to new chapters, and to the strength it takes to turn the page.”
Alongside his caption, Eldridge shared a photo of himself alongside Kaitlyn and a mystery woman whom many assume to be a new partner.
Perhaps, in the near future, he will feel ready to share more.
