Teen who met grandma from accidental text shares Thanksgiving plans after COVID-19 loss

[Beaverhausen]

https://abc7.com/society/teen-who-met-grandma-from-accidental-text-shares-thanksgiving-plans/8147453/


Teen who met grandma from accidental text shares Thanksgiving plans after COVID-19 loss
Saturday, November 21, 2020 8:35AM

You may remember when an Arizona grandmother's texts accidentally reached the phone of a teen she didn't know back in 2016. That sparked a thanksgiving friendship between the unlikely pair -- and a yearly tradition that's still going strong.

MESA, Arizona -- An Arizona grandmother and a teenager (now grown-up) have carried on a Thanksgiving tradition for years -- all because of a text that was sent to the wrong person.

It all started when Wanda Dench, now 63, thought she was texting her own grandson about Thanksgiving dinner plans but accidentally texted now 21-year-old Jamal Hinton instead.

He asked for a photo to find out if it was his own grandmother behind the text. The picture came in of a woman with blonde hair and glasses -- not Hinton's grandma.

"[You're] not my grandma," Hinton said with a laughing emoji. "Can I still get a plate tho [sic]?"

"Of course you can," Dench replied. "That's what grandma's [sic] do... feed everyone [cake emoji]"

The wrong messages went viral on social media, and the pair decided to meet in real life. They had so much fun together that Hinton has joined Dench's family for Thanksgiving every year since.

But sadly, Lonnie Dench, Wanda's husband of 43 years, died from complications due to COVID-19 in April. Speaking to "Good Morning America" Thursday, Hinton called Lonnie a "good friend" who was "very supportive" of his accidental friendship with Wanda.


EDITING TO ADD - if you watch the video at the link it appears that was taken at last year's Thanksgiving.

[Karadeniz]

1. Damn. Tissue time.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. What a sweet story! And I need tissues too!

[badhair77]

3. Oh no. I feel like I know these people just from following them

through the news these past years. RIP Lonnie. Peace to Wanda and Jamal. I hope they can continue their dinner next year.

[Demovictory9]

4. I remember this story

[Tanuki]

5. What a beautiful friendship. They all sound wonderful.

I remember reading the original story and a later followup. How sad that this dear lady lost her husband to covid, as have so many. The kindness she put out into the world came back as support and well wishes in her darkest hour. I hope this "family by choice" will have many more happy Thanksgivings together.

[crickets]

6. I'm so sorry to hear about Lonnie.

It's sweet that Jamal is quaranting for two weeks so he can still have Thanksgiving dinner with Wanda this year.