Husband of grandma famous for accidentally inviting teen to Thanksgiving dies of coronavirus
An Arizona woman, who became famous for inviting a stranger on Thanksgiving after accidentally texting him, lost her husband to coronavirus.
Four years ago, Wanda Dench was texting her grandson when she accidentally sent the message to Jamal Hinton. For the last four years, Meza couple Wanda and Lonnie Dench have been inviting Jamal Hinton and his girlfriend Mikaela to their home for Thanksgiving. This adorable incident made the couple an internet sensation and now, with Lonie Dench's death, thousands of admirers took to Twitter to pay their condolences.
Hinton took to Twitter to share that Lonnie had died from complications due to coronavirus. In the post, Hinton wrote, "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 thank every single one of you guys for that!"
"Arizona needs to handle this way better than it is! As we see Covid-19 is no joke. Let's do something. #StopTheSpread," Hinton later added.
Just a few days before this, he had tweeted saying that both Wanda and Lonnie had been diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus. On April 8, he shared an update which revealed that Wanda was not actually sick.
Many social media users commented on the post and offered their condolences. One such user shared, "Wow I'm too sad to hear this. Condolences to you and the entire family. So sorry for your loss," while another added, "Soooo sorry. I know Lonnie became family to you along with Wanda. You all have brought joy to us every year. My condolences to you at this time."
Another user said, "Deepest condolences to both of your families. Please continue to send Wanda EXTRA virtual hugs & love on behalf of allllllll us, during this incredibly difficult time."
"Jamal, I'm so sorry. It was clear from pictures that all of you had a special bond. Thank you for taking the time to share your pictures year after year; it was such an important reminder of human kindness and connection. Sending you and Wanda all the love," wrote another.
Post Lonnie's death, Wanda paid a sweet tribute to her husband and said, "He had the truest heart of love, like no other." She added, "He did so many acts of kindness that no one ever heard about. He was my hero. And I'm a better person because of him."
In 2016, Wanda had accidentally messaged Hinton inviting him to her family's traditional lunch in Mesa. Wanda had messaged Hinton thinking he was her grandson. Hinton, who was 17 at the time, told the doting grandmother she had texted the wrong person. However, he asked if he could "still get a plate though?" To this, Wanda instantly responded, "Of course, you can, that's what grandmas do, feed everyone."
The minute Hinton arrived at Dench's residence, she hugged him tightly. The exchange blossomed into a beautiful tradition, with Dench and Hinton, now 19, still celebrating the holiday together.