An Arizona grandmother and the stranger she by accident invited to dinner in 2016 have celebrated their fifth Thanksgiving collectively, their first with out her husband who died of COVID-19.

Lonnie Dench, husband of lady who mistakenly invited stranger to Thanksgiving, dies

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Like many People, Wanda Dench, 63, and stranger-turned-friend Jamal Hinton, 21, determined to not maintain a big Thanksgiving occasion this 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Occasions reported. As an alternative, they’d a small dinner collectively on Friday subsequent to a lit candle and portrait of Dench’s husband.






© Tom Tingle, AP
Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench take a selfie collectively after assembly at Wanda’s dwelling for Thanksgiving dinner, in Mesa, Ariz. Dench, who by accident texted Hinton, a stranger, an invite to Thanksgiving dinner made good on her provide, greeting the teenager customer with a hug and an oven stuffed with meals after their story swept by way of social media.

“I at all times bear in mind Lonnie trying on the vibrant aspect of issues,” Hinton advised the Occasions. “He would need us to rejoice his life as a substitute of hating COVID and hating all the things.”

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Dench advised CNN that she wasn’t trying ahead to celebrating with out her husband of 43 years at first, however determined it was essential to take action.

“I am unable to even clarify how a lot pleasure I had, having good meals with my favourite firm. We laughed, we had a good time, we reminisced concerning the previous. It was so good for all of us,” she advised the outlet.

Remembering Lonnie Dench: Viral story of youth by accident invited to fallacious Thanksgiving by ‘grandma’ textual content takes a tragic twist

From 2019: He was by accident invited to Thanksgiving by ‘grandma.’ 4 years later, he is nonetheless going

The pair had dinner with Hinton’s girlfriend and Dench’s daughter and grandson and plan to get examined for COVID-19 earlier than celebrating with their very own households on Thursday, CNN reported.

Hinton shared on social media in April that Dench died after affected by COVID-19 and pneumonia and Dench confirmed his dying to native media. The Maricopa County Workplace of the Medical Examiner confirmed to USA TODAY that Lonnie Dench died on April 5, however couldn’t affirm the reason for dying. 

“As a few of you might have already discovered tonight Lonnie didn’t make it,” Hinton wrote on Twitter. “He handed away Sunday morning however Wanda advised me all of the love and help he was receiving put an enormous smile on his face so I thank each single certainly one of you guys for that!”

Their story started in 2016, when Hinton obtained a random textual content from Wanda Dench inviting him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a household that wasn’t his. The unlikely pair’s interplay went viral when Hinton, then 17, shared a screenshot of their texts on Twitter. 

Dench, considering she had texted her grandson who had not too long ago modified his cellphone quantity, invited Hinton to Thanksgiving dinner at her dwelling in Mesa, Arizona.

Hinton was confused and requested for a photograph of the one that had texted him.

“I really did assume it was my grandma,” Hinton advised The Arizona Republic in 2016.

When he noticed the picture of a girl he had by no means met, he responded she wasn’t his grandmother however jokingly requested, “Can I nonetheless get a plate tho?”

Dench, doing “what grandmas do,” responded: “In fact.”

So Hinton went in 2016. Then in 2017, after getting one other invite (this time deliberately). Then once more in 2018. And but once more in 2019.

“For him to proceed with the connection, I am simply actually pleasantly shocked,” Dench advised the Republic in 2017. “We’re extra of prolonged household and, better of all, mates.” 

In 2019, Hinton tweeted pictures from the 4 earlier years of Thanksgivings collectively.

Observe N’dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg

This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Grandma celebrates fifth Thanksgiving with man by accident invited to dinner after shedding husband to COVID-19

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