Grandma Celebrates 5th Thanksgiving with Stranger Accidentally Invited to Dinner Four Years Back
A grandmother who resides in Arizona celebrated this year’s thanksgiving with the stranger she accidentally invited to dinner in 2016. 63-year-old Wanda Dench and 21-year-old Jamal Hinton decided to hold a small thanksgiving event.
Dench and Hinton had dinner together on Friday next to the portrait of Dench’s late husband, Lonnie Dench.
“I always remember that Lonnie always looked at the bright side of things. He had always wanted us to celebrate his life.” – Hinton
Dench who lost her husband to COVID-19 said that she never thought about celebrating thanksgiving without her husband, however, she decided it was important to do so.
In April, Hinton shared on social media that Mr. Dench passed away after battling with COVID-19 and pneumonia. The Maricopa County Office confirmed that Lonnie Dench passed away on April 5, but the cause of the death couldn’t be confirmed.
In 2016, Hinton had received a random text from Mrs. Wanda Dench. He was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner by Dench who thought she had texted her grandson. However, Hinton had received the message instead of Dench’s grandson.
Hinton was at first confused, so he asked for the picture of the person who sent him the text. Hinton thought it was his grandma at first and when he realized she wasn’t his grandma after seeing the picture, he still went to the event.
Hinton went for the 2016 Thanksgiving dinner and he got another invite in 2017 intentionally and also went for it. He went again in 2018 and 2019.
“For him to have continued with the relationship, I’m very surprised. We have become best of all, friends. And I see him as an extended family.” – Dench
The duo had dinner with Dench’s daughter and grandson, alongside Hinton’s girlfriend. Although Dench accidentally invited Hinton to the Thanksgiving celebration in 2016, he has maintained a good relationship with Dench since then.
“I can’t explain how much fun and joy I had, spending time with my favorite company. We had a great time, had good food, and reminisced about the past. It was a good time.” – Dench
