LITCHFIELD, Minn. — If you are tired of stories of separation, have we got a reunion story for you.
Beverley Lindell got the surprise of her life on her 84th birthday, when her husband of 63 years walked in the house after being sprung from his nursing home.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Jerry Lindell, Beverley’s 84-year-old husband, said of the moment he saw his wife.
Beverley hesitated briefly, before hugging her husband and sobbing.
“I just thought we weren’t supposed to hug,” she later said. “But I couldn’t wait to grab him, so we hugged each other, and I cried and cried and cried.”
Jerry had been rehabbing at Meeker Manor in Litchfield when the facility locked down to protect its residents from COVID-19.
After visiting her husband every day, Beverley found herself locked out.
She’d cry sometimes, she missed her husband so much.
The couple’s daughter, Loriee Barnes, helped arrange the surprise as his father wrapped up his rehab.
Loriee drove her dad home and filmed the moment her parents embraced and sobbed.
“I got to bring my dad home to my mom, it was pretty cool,” she said.
Andrea Ross, Meeker Manor’s administrator, says the video meant a lot to her staff and other residents who’ve been dealing with the pain of separated families.
“It’s hard to find words for it because it is so very special, and now more than ever,” she said.
Days later, Jerry and Beverley were still holding hands as they sat on their couch.
“I wouldn’t let him go,” Beverley said. “He’s mine to keep.”
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what companies in Minnesota are hiring. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.