Widower Brings Wife's Ashes to Parade for Heartwarming Reason
It was a momentous occasion and just four days later the city came together to celebrate with a parade. The reported 34 degree temperature didn’t stop the estimated hundreds of thousands of fans from lining the streets to celebrate and to see a very special metal object.
The Philladelphia Eagles had won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. Their win wasn’t the only thing to celebrate — it was the first Super Bowl win the franchise had in its entire history.
Philly.com wrote that even though the streets were packed with an excited crowd, it was “nothing like what we saw Sunday night after the Super Bowl win (light-pole climbing, a little bit of looting, some general debauchery).
“Reporter Julia Terruso, who is stationed near City Hall today, was also in the throngs of people Sunday night out on Broad Street. She says this just feels different (probably thanks to moms everywhere).”
Although many wanted to catch a glimpse of the Eagles team members during the parade, it was something else many longed to see.
The coveted Vince Lombardi trophy, given to each year’s Super Bowl winner, was of particular interest to spectators.
Scanning the crowds, you’d hardly notice individual faces. But if you noticed the metal object one fairly non-descript man in the crowd was holding close to his heart, you just might find yourself taking a longer look.
It wasn’t the Lombardi trophy and it wasn’t anything that would hold any particular meaning to anyone there other than him.
But it was something that had to come with a story and the man standing next to him took the time to find out and share it with the rest of us.
Dustin Javier used Facebook to introduce the world to Dennis and his late wife, Becky. You see, the metal container Dennis clutched so tightly was an urn that contained the ashes of his beloved wife.
And while it might seem odd to take such a thing to a parade with rowdy people all around, Dennis explained it was the perfect place to take Becky. He told Dustin, “She was a diehard Eagles fan so I had to make sure she was here for this.”
Dustin was touched by the sentiment but he was not alone. As they spoke, a police officer approached with a beer in his hand for Dennis, “…from the guys across the street.”
Despite all the people and chaos around them, they, like Dustin, noticed Dennis and wanted to show him some support.
Dustin and Dennis saw that the beer-buying gents consisted of “a group of around 15 guys in Eagles gear [who] held up their beers to toast him and his wife Becky.”
Dustin’s takeaway from the whole thing was “DON’T EVEN TRY TO TELL ME WE DON’T HAVE THE BEST FANS IN THE COUNTRY.”
But for others it could be a simpler, more universal message. It could be that no matter how much we hear about strife and division in the United States, there are good, caring people all around us.
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