UPDATE: Jamal Hinton posted on Twitter images from the preliminary Thanksgiving celebration and reunion on the vacation itself on Thursday, Nov. 26. See them under.
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Wanda Dench, the Arizona grandma who accidentally invited a stranger to her Thanksgiving dinner in 2016 and fashioned a fantastic friendship with him consequently, is celebrating her first vacation with out her husband Lonnie Dench, who died from coronavirus in April.
“He had the truest coronary heart of affection, like no different,” Wanda instructed native information outlet Arizona Household‘s Briana Whitney shortly after Lonnie’s demise. “He did so many acts of kindness that nobody ever heard about. He was my hero. And I am a greater particular person due to him.”
Jamal Hinton, the then teen who Wanda unintentionally invited to Thanksgiving dinner when she texted the improper quantity—after which prolonged the invite to the vacation anyway—shared the unhappy information on Twitter in April, writing, “As a few of you could have already came upon tonight Lonnie didn’t make it… he handed away Sunday morning however Wanda instructed me all of the love and help he was receiving put an enormous smile on his face so I thank each single one in all you guys for that!”
That very same month, Jamal additionally shared a video of him at lunch with Wanda, Lonnie, and his girlfriend Mikaela Grubbs, writing “We miss you Lonnie.”
Briana adopted up on the story of Wanda and Jamal, and shared that whereas the 2 will not get collectively on Thanksgiving this yr, as they’ve for the previous 4 years, they have been nonetheless celebrating the festivities—and honoring Lonnie within the course of.
