Thanksgiving Grandma Continues Tradition Despite Tragedy

In 2016, Wanda Dench accidentally launched a viral Thanksgiving tradition. Sending a text message invitation to Thanksgiving dinner to the wrong number, Dench found a surrogate grandson in Jamal Hinton, who took her up on the invitation. Over the next three years, they continued to share the holiday.

While the family's yearly updates have been a source of Thanksgiving joy for many online, earlier this year, tragedy struck. In April, Hinton tweeted that Dench's husband Lonnie had died of COVID-19.

As Thanksgiving rolled around and many health officials warned of more tragedies on the way, Dench and Hinton wanted to continue the tradition. After receiving their coronavirus tests, Dencher, her daughter and grandson joined Hinton and his girlfriend for a small Thanksgiving dinner last week.

"I wasn't looking forward to it at first because Lonnie wasn't going to be there," Dench told CNN. "The past seven months have been so difficult, but this was really important to me."

"I can't even explain how much joy I had, having good food with my favorite company. We laughed, we had a great time, we reminisced about the past. It was so good for all of us."

2020 marks the fourth anniversary of their first viral Thanksgiving. With six grandchildren of her own, it's easy to see how Dench texted the wrong number. Lucky for her, she found a seventh grandchild on the other end of the line. Jamal Hinton, then 17, was happy to take her up on her invitation.

After Lonnie passed in April, Dench and Hinton hoped to continue the tradition, which meant so much to them.

"Lonnie was missing this year, and he was a big part of the Thanksgiving story and a big part of our lives, but that's one thing Wanda and I know for sure," Hinton said. "Lonnie would have been very angry if we didn't have Thanksgiving together."

Knowing the severity of the pandemic firsthand, Dench encouraged people to stay safe this holiday season.

"Just have patience," Dench said. "I know it isn't easy, and everyone is frustrated and just wants to get back to normal. But we need to have hope and always care about other people."