Every Thanksgiving, there is one story that always warms the heart of people around the world. The story is of ‘Thanksgiving Grandma’ who mistakenly sent a text to an anonymous person meant for her grandson, and ended up inviting the person over which later turned into an annual tradition. Yes, we’re talking about Mesa, Arizona-based grandma Wanda Dench.
Let’s learn more about her, the story behind it, with this Wanda Dench bio. Here we also cover information on her husband, her age, and her job.
All About Wanda Dench Jamal Hinton Story
In 2016, Wands Dench sent a text message to her 24-year-old grandson inviting him over for Thanks Giving. But, her grandson switched his number and the message reached Jamal Hinton to a high school senior in November 2016. There was confusion at first, so they shared each other’s selfies to clear the error.
However, Jamal asked Wanda if he could still come over for the dinner, Wanda texted him back, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone,” according to the reports of ABC News. Two days after the text was sent, Hinton met Dench in person and she officially invited him and his family to their Thanksgiving dinner. Hinton happily accepted, and thus began a new tradition.
Ever since they, they struck up a friendship that has lasted for nearly 5 years.
Ever since then, Jamal has made it a tradition to attend Wanda’s ThanksGiving dinner. He has been documenting each gathering on his socials in Wanda’s Arizona home.
Jamal tweeted on 15 November 2021 a snap of the conversation between him and Wanda. He also posted a snap of him and his girlfriend with Wanda and her late husband Lonnie. He captioned, “We are all set for year 6!”
Speaking with PEOPLE about the tradition, he said that it was the most unexpected and Wanda was the sweetest person for that. He fondly spoke about Wanda saying that it was a reminder that there are still some good people left in the world. Speaking with NBC Nightly News she shared, ” I just clicked when I met him and first talked to him. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to get to know this guy.’ ”
Wanda Dench Husband
Wanda Dench met her late husband Lonnie Bruce Dench when she was 20 years old living in Idaho. It was love at first sight for the couple. Then, they married a year later and had a daughter, in addition to two children from her previous marriage. Wanda and her husband settled in Arizona to escape the cold and doted on their six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
According to the online sources, Lonnie was born on 6 July 1956 in Los Angeles, California. They were married for 43 years. During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Wanda and Lonnie contracted COVID-19 the news of which spread all over.
In 2018 Wanda had shared, “Family is more than blood. It’s the people you want to be with.” Hence, Wanda’s chosen family came for her comfort during the tragedy. After being infected, Lonnie died on 5 April 2020 after battling double pneumonia caused by the virus.
The day after Mr. Dench died, Mr. Hinton and Ms. Grubbs brought Ms. Dench takeout from their favorite barbecue restaurant. They also brought some puzzles and a flash drive filled with good wishes from fans around the world, strangers who told her they had her in their prayers and how she and Mr. Hinton had inspired them.
According to his obituary, Lonnie was a sergeant in the US Army. One Megan McCluskey wrote about Lonnie on Time magazine, “He had the truest heart of love, like no other,” she said in a statement to the outlet. “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.”
Wanda sent Arizona Family a few words about her husband that read, “He had the truest heart of love, like no other. 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.”
Loonie was known for his kind heart. He would make random donations to hospice centers, pay for people’s meals without them knowing, and help anyone in need. For Wanda, her husband was her biggest cheerleader who she lost unexpectedly.
Wanda Dench Age
Wanda Dench was 64 years old as of November 2021.
Is Wanda Dench On Instagram?
Wanda Dench is on Instagram. She goes by the handle name @wandadench where she has 251 followers and 2 posts.
Related FAQs
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Where Is Wanda Dench From?
Wanda Dench hailed from her hometown of Nampa, Idaho, United States. Over the years, she has lived in different places such as Broomfield, Colorado, Longmont, Colorado, Chandler, Arizona, Mesa, Arizona, and Phoenix, Arizona.
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What Does Wanda Dench Do For A Living?
Wanda Dench’s job has not been shared. But, in several interviews, she had mentioned that when she met Jamal, they talked about various stuff including their jobs.
