Richard grew up mostly in Iowa. He was the son of an evangelist preacher, which meant that he and his family moved around…a lot. His parents were wonderful and very loving, however, they sometimes did not know where their next meal would come from. Richard knew that when he started a family, he wanted to establish roots. He wanted his kids to have a home. And that is just what he did. Richard married Alice and they began building a life together, one with roots.
Family and God were always very important to Richard and Alice. He worked hard to provide for his family, and when he could he practiced his faith singing gospel music wherever he could. Rich and Alice and three kids, and from that, 9 grandchildren.
In September 2016, Richard found out his granddaughter Sarah would be getting married in Lincoln, Nebraska. Richard thought it would be impossible for him to get to see his granddaughter get married. You see, Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago, and due to his limited mobility and lack of financial resources, he had just accepted that he would have to enjoy the day through pictures at a later time.
Our friends at Hillcrest Health Services had to do something to help. That is when they reached out to Dreamweaver Foundation and the Dream was put into motion. After several meetings with the foundation, the details were planned for the big day.
It started with a suit fitting for Richard and a dress fitting for Alice. Alice said, “I fell like Cinderella getting ready for the ball!” Alice’s attire was complete from head to toe with dress, shoes, jewelry, hair and makeup. And Richard, well he picked out a pinstripe suite fit for a dapper gentleman.
The couple had also decided on a special gift for the bride and groom…a bible. The bible ended up playing an even bigger part in Sarah and Howie’s wedding when is served as their guestbook due to the original guest book being misplaced.
On the day of the wedding, Richard and Alice were greeted by their driver, and off they went to Lincoln. They spent the entire day at the wedding with family. They were able to share in a delicious meal, and as Richard said, “Dance the night away.”
Richard and Alice had a wonderful time with all of their family. Making new memories and being part of such a special day was a dream come true.
