63-year-old grandmother and 'complete stranger' spend fifth thanksgiving together
Back in 2016, a woman from Arizona, US accidentally sent a text to a stranger and invited him over for a thanksgiving dinner. The text was actually intended for her grandson.
Five years after the error, the man continues to visit the woman every year for thanksgiving. This year, the two have celebrated their fifth thanksgiving together.
Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton have spent all Thanksgiving together since 2016, and their friendship has grown stronger every year.
Hinton was 17-year-old when he replied to the invite from Wanda, who at the time was 58-years-old.
Hinton had told Wanda that she had sent the text to the wrong number but jokingly asked if he could still get a plate from the thanksgiving dinner. Wanda replied, "That's what grandmas do...feed everyone."
This year, however, the thanksgiving celebration for the two was sombre as Wanda lost her husband, Lonnie, earlier this year after getting infected with the novel coronavirus.
Wanda and Jamal went ahead with their yearly tradition and even placed a picture of Lonnie on the dinner table.
A reporter from CBS 5, Briana Whitney, shared pictures on Twitter of the two having dinner.
“It may be a little early, but Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without Wanda & Jamal. In 2016 they went viral when she accidentally texted him instead of her real grandson. But this year they honour Wanda’s husband Lonnie, who passed from COVID. Their story tonight Red heart #azfamily,” Whitney tweeted.
Wanda and Lonnie, who were married for 41 years, were both infected with COVID-19 in April. While Wanda recovered from the disease, Lonnie's health deteriorated and he eventually passed away in April.
“As some of you may have already found out tonight, Lonnie did not make it. He passed away Sunday morning, but Wanda told me all the love and support he was receiving put a huge smile on his face, so I want to thank every single one of you guys for that,” Hinton had tweeted after Lonnie’s passing.
