Angelo Merendino never set out to create a photo series about his parents. He simply captured his mother and father every time they walked him out the door to say goodbye. It was only after his father passed in May, that he realized the significance of his parents' act and how his photos might resonate with others. From there, "Goodbye at the Door" was born.
"I felt like that really told the story of how much they cared," Merendino said in a phone interview with TODAY. "It wasn't just for me or my brothers and sisters, anyone who's ever come to visit my parents' home were walked out the door. They really cared about people and taught me to care about people."
Merendino first picked up a camera more than a decade ago and hasn't put it down since, calling it his best way of communicating. Most famously, he created an e-book chronicling his wife Jennifer's battle with breast cancer in a series of intimate, black-and-white photographs. The heartfelt project gained large attention and inspired a massive outpouring of support from friends and strangers alike. Merendino responded by creating a non-profit organization, The Love You Share, in his wife's honor.
A year after Jennifer's passing, Merendino decided to move back to Cleveland from New York City so that he could see his parents in Akron at least once a week.
"Mortality has taken [on] a different meaning to me," he said. "I realized that if one of them passed and I was living out of state, that would have really crushed me."
Though his chronicling was almost entirely subconscious, Merendino knew there was something particularly sentimental when it came to the moment of saying goodbye at the end of each visit.
"I would think in my head sometimes, 'maybe this is the last time I would see them,'" he said.
Looking back, Merendino cherishes the recent time he spent with his father before he died at 85.
"It was one of the best decisions I ever made," he said, referring to his return to Ohio. "My relationship with my father really grew. Not as a father and son, but as two men who've been through things in the world."
Part of that development was seeing his mother and father as more than just his own parents, but rather "two human beings" with their own thoughts, feelings and stories.
For example, Merendino points to his parents' story as a couple. It didn't take Sam long to know Vilma was the one, according to their son. Sam proposed only two weeks after they met and Vilma immediately agreed to share her life with him. The two went on to share nearly 63 years of marriage and raise 11 children together. Merendino is their youngest.
"They had an agreement that whoever left had to take the kids with them," Merendino relayed with a chuckle. He added: "Now, their love is spreading all over the world."
Though Merendino says he's not quite sure his 87-year-old mother understands why her photos have such an impact, he has seen firsthand how inspiring they can be.
"It's made people not only want to photograph their parents, but hug their parents," he said.
As the "Goodbye at the Door" series gains more attention, Merendino hopes that his overall message will spread even wider.
"I want people to see that life is precious," he said. "Stop for a minute and say 'I love you' to the people in their life. It's the greatest feeling, to be loved."