Fulfilled Twilight Wishes

Kathryn C., 92, St. Joe, AR

April 16, 2019/in Fulfilled Wishes

Kathryn Crombie, a resident of St. Joe, Arkansas, had her wish to return to her hometown of Ralston, Nebraska one more time granted. Kathryn, who turned 92 on March 14^th, grew up in Nebraska, but hasn’t been able to return in over 80 years. She has always been very fascinated with her family heritage and history and spends hours looking through old photos dating back to the 1920s. Kathryn has many fond memories of growing up in the Ralston/Omaha area and would love to revisit her old school in particular, Brownell-Talbot School. Her wish came true when she and her son, Rich Crombie, traveled from Arkansas to Nebraska March 27^th through 29^th. Among the stops on their trip down memory lane were a visit to Brownell-Talbot School in Omaha where they will receive a special welcome and tour with current students, a meet and greet with the Mayor Donald Groesser of Ralston and a stop at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Kathryn was born in Lincoln, Nebraska where many of her family roots are: her relatives lived there, went to school there and are buried there. In addition, her father was a prominent student and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member in 1920 at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln Later, her family moved to Ralston and her father commuted to Omaha, working in the insurance business with the Woodmen of The World in Omaha Association. Her parents enrolled Crombie in the Brownell-Talbot School in Omaha. Their memory lane tour encompassed these three towns in southeastern Nebraska.

Christy B., 63, Westerville, OH

February 19, 2019/in Fulfilled Wishes

Christy Buzzard, 63, a permanent resident of a nursing facility in Westerville, Ohio, recently had her wish for Tom Selleck items granted. Christy is a huge fan of Tom Selleck and watches everything he’s acted in. Although we couldn’t grant her wish to actually meet Selleck, we were able to surprise her wish a Tom Selleck pillow, doll and other items.

Helen M., 93, Hatfield, PA

February 19, 2019/in Fulfilled Wishes

Helen Merico, a resident of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, had her wish for a new heater for her home granted, thanks to All Seasons Comfort Control. Helen, 93, is recuperating from a broken hip and lives with her son who is her caretaker. Her furnace broke in the fall of 2017, but because it is 70 years old, it is beyond repair because of its age and the lack of availability of parts. Because they live on a fixed income, they could not afford to replace the heater on their own. Instead, for the past two winters, they have been relying on four space heaters to heat their home which is expensive and a fire hazard. Thanks to All Seasons Comfort Control who donated the labor and installed the heater in late January. On Thursday, February 7^th, Twilight Wish staff presented All Seasons Comfort Control and Helen with certificates honoring both of them at her home.

130 Residents of Delaware Valley Veterans Home, Philadelphia, PA

February 19, 2019/in Fulfilled Wishes

130 elderly residents of the Delaware Valley Veterans Home in Philadelphia had their wishes for individual electric razors granted on December 12, 2018. Although the home does have some razors, they break easily, there aren’t enough for all the veterans who live there and it’s unsanitary to have the men share them. Because they are older, their skin is thin and they need electric razors which are gentler on the skin than disposable. Thanks to a generous grant from The Legacy Foundation and additional funding received from employees of Microsoft, this wish was granted on Wednesday, December 12^th. Note: because of privacy rules, photos were not permitted of the residents.

Christopher A., 66, Rich Creek, VA

December 4, 2018/in Fulfilled Wishes

Christopher Auton, 66, a resident of Heritage Hall nursing facility in Rich Creek, Virginia, had his wish to visit Dollywood in the fall and see the changing leaves granted, thanks to many generous donors. Chris has cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic. He is a permanent resident of Heritage Hall and, sadly, has no family that visits him. Despite all he has been through, Chris is very sweet and brings much joy to all who know him. Because of the life he has lived, he has never been able to experience many of the things that others have. His wish to travel to Pigeon Forge and visit Dollywood was granted thanks to the generosity of many donors. Because of his medical condition, he was accompanied by both a nurse and a CNA. Chris loved everything about his trip, but his favorite part was the Dollywood Stampede!

Lee P., 62, New Castle, PA

October 16, 2018/in Fulfilled Wishes

Alan “Lee” Peluso, 62, a resident of Haven Convalescent Home in New Castle, Pennsylvania, had his wish to ride in the sidecar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle granted, thanks toThunder Harley Davidson of Sharon, Pennsylvania. Peluso has multiple sclerosis and lost much of his functional capabilities at a young age. He always wanted to ride a Harley motorcycle, but the disease prevented him from doing that. Despite his medical condition, Peluso worked as the head jail warden of the Lawrence County jail. His wish was granted on Wednesday, October 10th when he experienced the ride of his life in a sidecar courtesy of Thunder Harley Davidson.

Connie S., 69, Hatboro, PA

May 31, 2018/in Fulfilled Wishes

Connie Stine, 69, had her wish to visit the Philadelphia Zoo with her sister granted during our Week of Wishes, thanks to the generosity of the Philadelphia Zoo. Connie, 69, is developmentally delayed and has participated in Special Olympics for years, winning many medals which she proudly displays in her room. In addition to her prized collection of medals, Connie has many stuffed animals in her room, including her favorite miniature tiger. She absolutely loves animals – she loves talking about them, watching them on television and coloring them in coloring books. Connie, her sister, Sharon Kunsky, and Luther Woods Activities Director, Randie Duretz, rode in style to the zoo in a stretch limo, courtesy of Twilight Wish. Also along for the ride were several of her favorite stuffed animals including her “baby” tiger. Once there, Connie received the royal treatment from the Philadelphia Zoo who not only donated tickets and arranged for her to feed the hippos, but escorted her around the zoo in a golf cart. Connie also was able to see her favorite animal, the tiger, and received a “mama” tiger for her baby tiger.

WWII Navy veteran meets meteorologist Adam Joseph

August 29, 2017/in Fulfilled Wishes

Twilight Wish Foundation recently granted the wish of John Kennard, a resident of Luther Woods Nursing and Rehabiliation Center in Hatboro. John, 92, wished to meet his favorite meteorologist, Adam Joseph of WPVI-Channel 6 in Philadelphia.

John served in the Navy during World War II. After his honorable discharge in 1948, he enlisted in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, serving for more than 27 years. He decided to share his love of the weather and became certified in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, teaching classes on the weather for many years. Although now retired and living at Luther Woods, John keeps busy and broadcasts the weather to the other residents every morning over the intercom. He has been a fan of Joseph’s for years and watches him do the weather every day. His wish to meet Adam Joseph, talk to him about the weather and their shared love of meteorology and watch him do the weather broadcast was granted on August 23^rd.

Not only did John get to meet Joseph, but was given a tour of the WPVI studios. He also watched Joseph and the rest of the Action News team do the 4 p.m. broadcast and met Brian Taff, Alicia Vitarelli and Sharri Williams. Thank you to everyone at WPVI for making this special wish come true for such a deserving man!

Lizzie’s wish to paint a mural is granted!

May 23, 2017/in Fulfilled Wishes

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Rocco had her wish to paint part of a mural granted on Tuesday, May 16th. Since moving to Luther Woods Nursing Home last September, Lizzie has come out of her shell and become very involved in all the art programs and classes there. She is a talented artist who loves to paint and enjoys helping others in the classes with their projects. Her wish to help paint on a mural came true as part of our inaugural Week of Wishes, a national wish granting event. Lizzie helped paint a mural on canvas at Mural Arts Philadelphia and then it was off to South Philly where she enjoyed a cheesesteak at Pat’s Steaks with her son and daughter. This wish was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Optum of Horsham. Special thanks also to Mural Arts Philadelphia and Pat’s King of Steaks for making this wish so special.

Mae has her wish to attend Rosie the Riveter reunion is granted

July 2, 2015/in Fulfilled Wishes

Mae Krier, one of the original Rosie the Riveters from World War II, recently had her wish to travel to the American Rosie the Riveter Association’s convention in Richmond, CA. Mae, 89, is one of the original “Rosie the Riveter’s of World War II. In 1943, after just graduating from high school in North Dakota, Mae and her family moved to Seattle for war work. At the young age of 17, she got a job working on B-17s and B-29s for Boeing in Seattle. One of her proudest memories is helping to build the 5 Grand, the 5,000^th B-17 made by Boeing after Pearl Harbor. Mae, still a teenager at the time, and her co-workers painted their names on her fuselage. They were so proud of their hard work they pushed the plane out of the factory door onto the tarmac themselves. The 5 Grand passed inspection despite its lack of camouflage; the U.S. Army Air Corps made an exception thinking that the autographed plane would be good for morale. Mae kept track of the plane carrying her rivets as it flew 78 missions over Europe, shooting down two Nazi planes.

While in Seattle, Mae met her husband, Norm, a Navy man on the dance floor at the Service Man’s Center there. They married in April of 1945, just before the war ended and were married for 69 years until his passing in June of 2014. Shortly after they married, Norm was transferred to the naval air station in Pasco, Washington. Mae got a job at the base packing supplies to be sent overseas and worked alongside Italian prisoners of war who were interned at the base.

The ARRA reunion was held in Richmond, California and lasted for three days. Mae had a wonderful time and had the opportunity to exchange war stories with fellow “Rosies.” She meets regularly with other Rosies in the Philadelphia area and maintains contact with some from far-away places. After the convention, she added a few more to her list

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