When Eddy May told employees of Liberty Community Living Center that if he could, he would marry his wife of 65 years, Ina, all over again, it was a bit of wishful thinking on his part.
Lucky for Eddy, he planted the idea in the minds of the right people.
With the help of the living center and the Marketing Association for Healthcare Mississippi, it was a wish he saw granted.
On Jan. 16, Eddy and Ina repeated their wedding vows at the living center, with a crowd of about 170 people witnessing their public testimony of love.
“It was truly beautiful,” said Niece Mabry, director of admissions and public relations at LCLC. “They are the most precious people. Mr. Eddy said, ‘My dreams have come true.’ It was a huge thing.”
The Mays’ daughter, Betty Stewart, escorted Ina, who was seated in a wheelchair, to the altar. Also on hand were the Mays’ three sons, Bob, Bonny and Benny, and their families.
“We had the chairs fixed up like a wedding aisle,” Mabry said. “Mr. May just cried. Kim Hodges sang ‘My Valentine,’ and everybody in the crowd was crying then.”
The Mays will celebrate their 66th anniversary this May.
Mabry said the devotion Eddy shows to his wife is nothing short of amazing.
“He gets here every morning at 6:30. He feeds her breakfast, feeds her dinner, feeds her supper and reads to her all during the day. He rolls her around the center and outside the grounds, seven days a week,” Mabry said.
“I’ve been here since 2002, and I’ve never seen such a devoted husband. He doesn’t leave until she goes down for the night,” she said. “He eats every meal with us. We just adore both of them. They’re both very sweet.”
Mabry and others, of course, often see their share of sadness with patients and families at the nursing home, so a renewal of vows was something positive to witness.
“It was very uplifting,” Mabry said. “The other residents enjoyed it, and the community did, too. It’s one of those things, to see a love so great, to see somebody so devoted. You just have to know there’s true love out there.”
In somewhat frail health, Ina doesn’t do a lot of talking, and her vision is nearly gone. But Mabry said Ina was aware of everything that was happening during the vow renewal service.
“When it came time, she said, ‘I do,’ and she said it so loud. ... She knew exactly what was going on. It was really a special occasion, and we enjoyed it so much.”
The event was all the more special, given the fact that the Mays eloped their first time around.
“If you don’t believe in marriage, you need to come and see theirs. We see it seven days a week. Her eyes will just light up and sparkle when he’s here,” Mabry said.
The marketing healthcare group has made quite a few wishes come true.
“We try to grant dreams to people that otherwise couldn’t afford something,” Mabry said. “But it doesn’t always have to do with money.”
The Mays’ dream didn’t involve big spending. The living center and the marketing group joined forces to share expenses and make the event a success, and many people donated or discounted items for the service.
Organizers rented an arch, where the couple repeated their vows, along with a candelabra and fern stands. Debbie Fenn made a wedding cake and Kelly Hart provided flowers.
The Live a Dream Foundation has done a lot of things for people, Mabry said. One recipient, Mary Porter, is still going to school, getting her associate degree. She’s in her 70s.
“We still pay for that, buy her books, gas and fees,” Mabry said.
They’ve made small wishes come true — taking people to church after a years-long absence, for instance — and bigger ones, too.
“We sent some people to Chicago for a woman to see her daughter’s grave for the first time,” Mabry said. “It’s been a great organization to be a part of. To see their faces, it’s all worth it.”
Although Eddy and Ina are separated from each other during the night, each day is a gift for them.
“He goes and goes; he never stops,” Mabry said of Eddy. “He’s got to be exhausted by sitting up all day. But rain or shine, here he comes. Ina’s day can begin when Mr. May gets here.”
