Judy and Denny attended Thomas Jefferson High School. They knew of each other, but didn’t develop a relationship until they officially met at the local roller skating rink when they were 15 and 17 years old. They quickly fell for each other, but waited two years for Judy to finish high school before getting married. Judy’s father wasn’t very happy she was getting married at a young age, but Judy didn’t care, she loved Denny! Judy graduated in May and they were married in July. Several years later, Judy and Denny started a family when they adopted their two children, Richard and Denise. Judy and Denny loved the outdoors and passed on their love of nature to their children. They often spent time as a family camping and fishing. Judy and Denny also led their kids’ Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and coached their baseball and softball teams.
Judy has always dreamt to visit the great outdoors of Alaska. And, because it was Judy’s Dream, it was Denny’s Dream too. When Kate from The Center in Council Bluffs heard about the Harold’s Dream, she knew just who to contact to make their Dream and reality, she called Dreamweaver Foundation. In 2017, Judy was diagnosed with Dementia. It was important for Denny to experience this with Judy while she still remembers him.
With help from Vacation Superstore we began planning and prepping for a Star Princess Alaskan Cruise. As soon as flights were booked, Judy and Denny began packing and purchasing special items for their trip. This was an extra special Dream because they would celebrateJudy’s 74th birthday and their 56th wedding anniversary during the trip. Roberta, Judy’s sister and maid of honor, also joined them on the trip to celebrate.
On a very early Saturday morning in July, the three were escorted to Eppley Airfield by VIP Limo, but not before they received well wishes from neighbors standing outside to say, “good-bye and have fun”!
From day one of the seven-day cruise, Jenny, Denny and Roberta were busy seeing Vancouver, Canada via a bus tour, enjoying a boat ride through Ketchikan, Alaska, devouring a salmon bake in Juneau, touring the Ididerod dog training facilities with Roberta’s son and cruising around Glacier Bay and College Fijor on the cruise ship.
They enjoyed amazing seafood, seeing the wildlife from birds to bears, cruising around large glaciers, but the real highlight was experiencing the trip together and making memories to last a lifetime.
Thank you VIP Limo and Jenny from Vacation Superstore for helping us make their Dream possible.