We’ve got sad news. Do you remember the grandmother who went viral after she spent Thanksgiving with a stranger year after year, after accidentally inviting him over? Her husband Lonnie (not pictured above) has reportedly passed away from coronavirus. As we all know, the young man who’d been invited over for Turkey Day grew close with the family and he was the one who made the announcement via Twitter last night.
On April 1, Jamal Hinton wrote: “I am so sad to announce that Wanda and Lonnie both have COVID-19 and that Lonnie is currently in the hospital fighting both COVID and Pneumonia please send words of love and encouragement their way”
ICYMI: These Three Grandmas Went Viral On Thanksgiving
Then, in an update yesterday, he said: “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!”
See his tweets below.
If you missed the viral story about how they met Jamal, we wrote back in 2019:
“This grandma went viral after the internet learned she spends Thanksgiving with a random young person every year, after inviting the total stranger over accidentally back in 2016. ‘Family is more than blood. It’s the people you want to be with,’ she told ABC News, with the young man adding ‘I really enjoy the time I spend with her.’ Apparently, the whole family loves him. Read their full story here.”
May Lonnie rest in peace. We are praying for Wanda’s full recovery.