108-Year-Old Meets His Namesake for the Very First Time
Almost everyone hopes to put down roots in some unique way. For many, that means having a home, a family, or simply someone special to love.
Not only did Esmond Allcock put down roots — he also branched out in a very big way. Born in 1910 near south-central Saskatchewan, Canada, Allcock became the beloved patriarch of a thriving brood that grew to include six offspring, 17 grandkids, 36 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great grandchildren.
On January 26, Allcock turned 108. This officially makes him the oldest living man in all of Canada.
His great-granddaughter Jenna Lehne remembers growing up with him fondly. She told news outlets that when she was first learning to walk as a child, she simply needed to crawl toward him and say, “walk-walk.”
Hearing those magic cue words, Allcock would instantly take the toddler’s hands and they’d promenade around the room together. Lehne said that as she grew older, he’d always call her his “little buddy.”
Flash forward several years to when Lehne was expecting a second child of her own. “My husband and I had wanted to name our new son after family,” she recalled, and they’d been considering various monikers.
Then Lehne heard about a poignant conversation Allcock had recently had with her grandmother. He’d mentioned ruefully that he’d given the world 71 descendants — yet nobody had named a son after him.
“That just sealed the deal,” Lehne told media outlets. And shortly thereafter, her own son Esmond came into the world on January 11, 2017.
Once the winter snows began to melt, Lehne was of course eager to introduce her cherished great-grandfather to his charming namesake. So it wasn’t long before a heartwarming meet-and-greet was arranged.
Allcock was so enamored with the new baby that for several minutes, he simply held young Esmond and marveled. “You’re a pretty good-looking guy,” he assured the adorable infant.
Initially, however, Allcock didn’t recognize Lehne at all. He glanced in her direction and politely asked, “How do I know you — should I?”
Lehne helpfully supplied her first name, but with such an immense family it didn’t necessarily ring a bell. Then she talked a bit about her parents, whom Allcock certainly seemed to recall.
Finally another lady in the room explained, “She was the girl who wanted to walk-walk.” Unsurprisingly, that was all the elderly gentleman needed to hear for the memory of their sweet times together to come flooding back.
Then Allcock continued gazing down at young Esmond, and kissed his little head. The proud great-great-grandfather kept repeating over and over, “You don’t know what this means to me.”
On the contrary, Lehne assured news outlets — the incomparable moment meant more to her than she could ever possibly explain.
“I am blessed,” she stated simply, and it’s a beautiful reminder for each of us to count our own precious blessings every day.
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