“To love and to cherish till death do us part” is the vow the loving couple Breuer lived by their whole life. But, little did they know that death wasn’t more powerful than the love and affection these two had for one another.
Raymond and Velva were married for 77 years. They couldn’t imagine their life without each other and everyone who knew them can tell that they did everything together, they were even buried together, in one casket. Yes, that’s how in love this couple was.
Source: FOX 5 NY
FOX 5 NY brings us the story of this lovely couple. The TV reported that the husband was the first to die. He left this world with his wife by his side. And just 30 hours after, Velma accompanied her husband to eternity.
The most interesting thing was that Raymond told medical staff that he and his wife could be placed in the same coffin when they say the final goodbye to this world. But no one could imagine this joke would turn into reality. Their son Bobby Breuer told Columbia Tribune, “Dad told one of the nurses before he passed, that if they went close together, that they should just be buried together, in the same casket. Jokingly, I think. But other people heard it and we asked the funeral director. Mother was a very small woman, and Dad wasn’t that big.”Source: Columbia Tribune
This loving couple spent together more than those 77 years in marriage. They were high school sweethearts and their love story is one of those that testifies that sometimes we are destined to spend our life with that one person.
Source: Columbia Tribune
Raymond and Velva graduated from the same high school in Dawson Township in Phelps Country and got married in 1940. Raymond worked at the Ford Motor Company in Missouri but once he retired they moved to North Carolina.
Source: Palm Beach Post
After spending 10 years as a preacher and a volunteer, Raymond and Velva returned to live in Missouri in 1994.
Source: Inside Edition
Even in their old age, both Raymond and Velva were in perfect mental health. Their daughter recalls how the two were fond of reading books and as she says, “I attribute their sharp minds to reading.”
In the year of 2016, Velva moved into Lenoir Woods Rehab Center, but her husband never left her side and slept in a cot in his wife’s room. That’s how devoted they were towards each other.
When they passed away, Raymond was 97, and his wife was 96 years old.
Source: Columbia Tribune
Their love resulted in numerous descendants. They had 18 grandchildren and lots of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Source: Daily Mail
Bobby Brewer said, “They were very blessed their entire lives. They had health issues but they overcame them. They were blessed and we were blessed because they were so fortunate.”
The state Rep. Cheri Reisch of Hallsville reported, “They would always hold hands and sit in the front-row pews of the church. They never left each other’s side. It was true love.”
So, why would it be any different now when they passed away. They rested the same way they lived, holding hands and never letting each other’s side.
We have talked many times about the kind deeds actor Gary Sinise is doing for the veterans, first responders, and those in need of help. However, the truth is that no matter what we say it won’t be enough to describe this man’s impact on society. Through his Gary Sinise Foundation, Lt. Dan has built more than 60 adapted homes for the wounded veterans as a thank you for their sacrifice and for everything they do for our country.
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One of the people whose life was drastically changed for the better thanks to Gary Sinise is retired Army Major Jeremy Haynes. This brave man who is a husband and a father of four served in Afghanistan but was severely injured during an accident in which he got shot and was left paralyzed. He had a hard time getting used to his new life and was barely able to navigate through the place where his family lived.
Recently, however, Haynes was gifted a brand new home adapted especially for his needs. When he and his family saw their new Virginia house, they were left speechless. Haynes’ wife, Chelsea, who is a soldier herself, was over the moon.
Facebook / Gary Sinise Foundation
“I was stumbling over my words because I couldn’t capture just the overwhelming joy that I felt,” Haynes told ABC 7 News.
“Finally there’s a home where we can actually grow together.”
Jeremy is now able to navigate through the space more independently.
“There’s a big difference between a 24-inch door and a 36 indoor,” he said. “That difference is the ability to tuck your kids in at night, being able to read them a bedtime story.
“Another amazing feature is the iPad. It controls the entire home from turning on the lights to the security features.”
Facebook / Gary Sinise Foundation
Sinise was glad he could make a change in this veterans life. “The house that stands before us is a small symbol of that gratitude and a deep respect from a grateful nation,” the actor said.
Thank you, Gary Sinise, you truly are one of a kind.
Facebook / Gary Sinise Foundation
If you want to see the Haynes family reaction on being given a new home go to the video below. Touching, indeed!
When we hear of young people who step up for members of their community and help those in need, we are glad we know we leave this planet in safe hands.
Canaan Bower, a student at Mayfield High School in New Mexico, received the praise of a number of people after he intervened to stop attempted kidnapping of three little children. As per Canaan’s father, the mother of the kids, aged 9, 2, and 1, was waiting for an Uber when 22-year-old Daniel Beltran Arroyo noticed the family and took interest in them. After some time, he approached her and demanded that she hand him over her children. She got scared and started screaming, hoping someone would hear her cries for help.
Source: Facebook / Kara Garrett Bower
At that moment, Canaan was filling up his truck with gas and that’s when he heard the screams. Without thinking twice, he rushed across the street in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There, he saw a group of people gathered around Arroyo trying to fight him off while the mother and her kids hid in an employees-only room at the gas station’s convenient store.
Troy Bower, Caanan’s dad, told the Sun-News what happened next. “So my son — who just won the wrestling district championship weeks ago — just came up behind this guy and body-slammed him and got him in a chokehold and waited for the police to show up,” he explained.
Troy learned of his son’s bravery when his wife called him and said: “Apparently, he [Canaan] is a hero and a dumba**. He called me to say he wrestled a man who was trying to hurt some kids at a gas station in Dona Ana. We hung up and now I can’t get a hold of him.”
It was then that Troy called the gas station to ask for more information. The person on the other side of the phone said with a shaking voice: “Oh my God sir, your son…he was…your son…was…was…awesome… As soon as I realized the kids were in danger and the evil was going to win, the door opened up and your son walked in. He didn’t hesitate. He jumped in, overpowered this man, and held him down until the police got there.”
Finally, Canaan was able to call his dad after he finished talking to the police and he was surprised that everyone already knew what he did.
Canaan was hailed a hero all for the right reasons.
Love your neighbor as yourself! This verse sounds profound and speaks respect and kindness, but it is even more heartfelt when we see people living by it.
Lane Unhjem, a farmer living near Crosby, North Dakota, was harvesting his crops when his harvester caught on fire. Shortly after, he suffered a heart attack.
When the neighbors heard of the incident, they knew they had to step in and lend a helping hand. Well, that’s what neighbors are for, right?
Using 11 combines, 6 grain carts, 15 semis, and a bunch of other farm equipment, around 50 people managed to harvest over 1,000 acres in just seven hours.
“I talked to a couple of farmers, got their equipment, and then other people just started calling and we had equipment offered from all over the place in the county, and their workers to go with it,” a friend of Lane’s family told KYFR.
Don Anderson, one of the kind neighbors who helped harvest Lane’s crops took to Facebook to share the heartwarming story. “The Unhjems have a beautiful crop that will be safe in the bins today, and more importantly they have the comfort of knowing that they have a community of friends that are helping, praying and doing whatever they can to help them get through this tough time,” he wrote.
The good thing is that Lane is in a stable condition and happy he has kind and sympathetic neighbors he can always count on. If every community was as caring and as helping as this one, the world would be a much better place.
Born to a father who was an actor and played in many movies, usually westerns, it didn’t come as a surprise that twins Rachel Lindsay and Sidney Robyn Greenbush inherited their dad’s talent for acting. The girls, who are now 51, are probably best known for their shared role of Carrie Ingalls, the third daughter of the Ingalls family in the legendary TV seriesLittle House on the Prairie, which aired from 1974 until 1983.
Facebook / Little House on the Prairie
Their first role was that in the television film Sunshine. In 1973, the twins’ dad, Billy Green Bush, who played in famous movies like Five Easy Pieces, M*A*S*H, Elvis and Me, Bonanza and more, got a call from from a friend who believed the girls would be perfect for the role of Jill Hayden.
A year later, when Michael Landon was casting for Little House on the Prairie, he spoke to the Sunshine director Joseph Sargent who believed the twins would be just the fit for the role of Carrie. It took Landon only a second to give the role to the charming little girls.
My Little House on the Prairie / Facebook
In an episode from 1978 which both Rachel Lindsay and Sidney Robyn regard as their favorite, The Godsister, the girls got to play alongside one another. They portrayed the role they were already playing, that of Carrie, and that of her imaginary friend Alyssa.
”My favorite Episode was “The Godsister” because we finally got a chance to prove to Michael that we were every bit as good & talented as anyone else on the show,” Sidney Robyn later said.
Lions Gate Home Entertainment
The twins’ popularity was huge. They were loved by many, including the daughter of president Jimmy Carter, Amy Carter, who invited them over at the residence.
They also had a brother who appeared on the series occasionally and appeared in several Hollywood movies over the years.
After years on the series, Landon decided the character of Carrie would no longer be part of the series and the sisters moved on to other projects. Lindsay guest starred in Matt Houston and Sidney starred in Hillie and Hambone.
”We auditioned for a lot of the same rolls and it cost us a lot of parts because nobody ever wanted to choose between us and hurt the other ones feelings. We were already used to that and we knew only one could get the roll,” Rachel Lindsay told Zunshine.com.
Rachel Lindsay Greenbush / Facebook
The twins eventually retired from acting and attended college. Today, Lindsay and her daughter Katlynn live with her husband Daniel Sanchez in California and the two have no contact with Katlynn’s biological father whom Lindsay dated shortly in 1993 while she worked at a ski-resort in Taos Ski Valley.
Rachel Lindsay Greenbush / Facebook
Lindsay and Daniel married in 2004 but first met years before that, on the set of Little House on the Prairie, while she was acting and he was living nearby and was allowed at the filming location.
When reruns of the series are on television, Lindsay loves watching them. Today, she works as an equine iridologist and in property management.
Rachel Lindsay Greenbush / Facebook
Sidney Robyn on the other hand earned a degree in animal science and is a member of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
In 2003, she told Zunshine.com, ”As far as my life now, I work full time, I just started back to college to try to get my Master’s & I breed, train, show, & sell American Quarter Horses. I am trying to build a bigger breeding program and in the future I hope to start doing Embryo Transfers.”
Facebook / Amy Sams
The child-actor was married to husband William ”Rocky” Foster, who was a veterinarian and a horse breeder and worked along with wife Sydney, for nine years. Sadly, after she wanted to divorce him, he took his own life in 2009.
The sisters gave us great memories by being part of one of the best TV shows.
Andy Griffith was a man who marked an era in the television industry. Coming from a small town at the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Mount Airy, he and his family lived in poverty during the early years of his life.
Young Andy was in love with music and dreamed of pursuing a career as a musician, a wish that came true eventually. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1944 and earned a degree in music. Life, however, had much bigger plans for Andy who possessed numerous talents.
Digital North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives
When he was in high school, he was a shy boy who wasn’t aware of his capacities, but his fellow schoolmates believed he had a unique ability to make them laugh. From that moment on, he started to further explore his musical and theatrical talents and attended the drama programs at school.
His career in front of the camera started back in 1953 with his monologue, “What It Was Was Football,” which was latter dubbed one of the best comedy monologues of all time.
This opened the doors to Ed Sullivan Show for Andy in 1954, the same years he was cast for the role of Will Stockdale in the TV version of the play No Time for Sergeants.
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However, it was the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in the all-time hit series The Andy Griffith Show, seen Monday nights on CBS, which aired for eight years. The popularity of the series was tremendous and it ranked among most popular sitcoms with millions of fans worldwide. There, Andy stared along his long time friend Don Knotts who played Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife. “Don had Andy literally in tears once a week. [I learned] about the spirit of collaboration, which I’ve carried with me forever,” actor Ron Howard, who played Andy’s son Opie, told Fox in 2018.
This show marked Andy’s life forever. He didn’t get any awards for his role, but was ranked number 8 on TV Guide’s list of “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.”
Wikipedia Commons
Why people loved The Andy Griffith Show so much was because it taught true family values.
After eight years, Andy decided to leave the show and embark on new adventures thus started his production company, Andy Griffith Enterprises. ”I wanted to prove that I could play something else, but there were 249 episodes out there of ‘Mayberry,’ and it was aired every day. It was hard to escape,” he said. Andy portrayed Ben Matlock, a crafty, good-natured lawyer, in the popular series “Matlock” in 1986 and won the hearts of fans once again.
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This incredible actor who made millions laugh was married three times. He and his first wife Barbara Bray Edwards adopted son Sam and daughter Dixie together.
Sam worked as a real-estate developer but struggled with alcohol abuse for many years and passed away in 1996 at the age of 37. Andy had a hard time accepting his son was forever gone and couldn’t cope with the loss. Years after the tragic incident, Dixie spoke of how it all affected her father.
“It affected my dad on a very, very deep level,” she said speaking to the Fox News “I went to my brother’s funeral service, but my dad wasn’t able to go. There would be too many magazines and cameras, and it just wasn’t a good place for him to be.”
She spoke how he wanted to keep his personal life away from the public eye. “So many people wanted to be a part of him. It goes back to the time when his show was on. It was such a sweet show, representing Americana at its best. We long for that in a way — the easier times, the gentler times,” Dixie told The Denver Post. But he was a generous man and always there for his family. He enjoyed spending time with his granddaughters.
Andy Griffith died in 2012, at the age of 86 at his home in Manteo, Roanoke Island, North Carolina. His wife Cindi Knight, whom he married in 1983 was by his side when he left this world.
“Andy was a person of incredibly strong Christian faith and was prepared for the day he would be called Home to his Lord,” Cindi said.
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Country singer Brad Paisley couldn’t possibly describe Andy any better when he said, “An actor who never looked like he was acting, a moral compass who saved as many souls as most preachers, and an entertainer who put smiles on more faces than almost anyone; this was as successful a life as is pretty much possible. Andy Griffith made the world a better place, and I was so proud to call him a friend.”
Steve Harvey’s life story goes from rags to riches. Born to a father who worked as a coal miner and a mom who was a teacher at a Sunday school, Harvey didn’t have a lot while growing up. Not many know that Steve was actually named Broderick Stephen Harvey, after actor Broderick Crawford, but he never used that name and preferred Steve instead. After some years living in Virginia, Harvey and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended high-school.
Yearbook photos of Steve Harvey from Glenville High School
Harvey worked several jobs before he tried himself in stand-up comedy.
He was a boxer, a carpet-cleaner, a postman, and a car-repairman when he first learned of the comedy clubs. “I had never even heard of a comedy club,” he told People. “I didn’t even know they existed.”
He had his first gig ever at the Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1985. This, however, wasn’t enough for Harvey to be able to afford a nice life for himself. In fact, he spent a few years as a homeless person and was living in his old car. But things were about to change for the better for the aspiring comedian who is until this day known as one of the best TV show hosts.
His determination and hard work let Harvey’s talent shine.
Soon after, he had his own show which was very popular, but mostly within the African-American community. From 1996 to 2002 he landed “The Steve Harvey Show” on the WB network. However, he was yet to reach to even wider audiences. Luckily, it didn’t take long before Harvey made a name for himself. His shows were now watched by people from all over the country and today, he is one of the most famous people in the show business.
The six-time Daytime Emmy Award winner has hosted Family Feud, Celebrity, Little Big Shots, radio programs, his own talk show and written four books. But despite his enormous success, Harvey has managed to stay grounded and never forgot where he came from.
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Steve was married three times.
The comedian has two daughters and a son with his first wife Marcia Harvey. After the couple divorced in 1994, Harvey lost touch with his kids as it looked like he put his career on the top of his priorities and didn’t have much time for the family. Later, however, he and his kids got on good terms and Harvey said, “Years later they said to me, ‘Dad, we didn’t understand why you left us, but we know now you had to go. You didn’t just belong to us. You belonged to the world.”
His second wife, Mary Shackelford, whom Harvey has son Wynton with, accused him after they divorced of infidelity. She was reported saying how Harvey left her with nothing and took her son away from her, which later turned not to be true.
Now, he’s married to his third wife Marjoire Bridges with whom he runs the foundation The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation which offers mentoring programs, education, and financial assistance to families in need.
Having experienced the hard life, Harvey believes he has to be there for those who struggle to make ends meet because he knows the feeling of being less fortunate.
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The life story of Harvey and Marjorie resembles that of the romantic movies.
The moment he first laid eyes on her in 1990 while she was trying to get to her front-row seat during one of his stand up shows, he said, “I’m sorry, I do not know who this is, but I’m going to marry her.” The comedian fulfilled this ‘promise’ some 15 years later when fate brought them together again.
Speaking of her love for Harvey, Marjorie told Essence, “I wish every woman can find a soulmate like I’ve been blessed to find. This is really my best friend.” Harvey never misses a chance to tell her how much he loves and how much she means to him. In fact, the whole world was a witness of a touching confession he made on his show on Mother’s Day in 2015.
Marjorie had no idea what her husband was about to do and she just looked at him all puzzled.
“I wanted to tell you..from the moment I saw you … the first thing I said to you ever was …‘I’m gonna marry you one day,'” Harvey started his confession. He then continued his emotional speech by saying that he would never be where he is today without her by his side. She makes his days and his life full and is the reason for his joy and happiness.
“You made my children comfortable and I existed before you and now I live. I never lived before you”, Harvey said. He adopted Marjorie’s three children from her previous marriage and together with Harvey’s kids they make an amazing big family.
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Marjorie couldn’t stop tears falling down her face. Listening to the man who means the world to her saying such touching and heartwarming words on the national television was a bold move.
Everyone is beautiful, and it looks like that as years pass by, societies learn how to see that beauty. Until recently, what fashion brands considered attractive and beautiful were skinny models only. Today, however, many other people are hired as models and become the brand face of famous companies.
Victoria Secret featured model with Down syndrome recently, and now another company is doing the same.
In their latest campaign, Banana Republic included a baby boy with Down syndrome. As per FOX 5 NY, a company representative said in a statement: “The BR Baby collection recently launched by Banana Republic was designed with a promise to be more sustainable, more welcoming, and more inclusive.”
The statement further read: “We want to celebrate diversity in all forms and in the casting for BR Baby we saw a perfect moment to move this forward. We were thrilled to give this beautiful, loving human his first modeling job.”
This is definitely a positive example of inclusion. We honestly hope that more and more companies would do the same in the future.
The founder and president of Changing the Face of Beauty, Katie Driscoll, praised the company for making a change. “So often our community is overlooked when diversity is being considered, fact is the disability community is the largest minority in the world and one in 5 families know or love someone with a disability. Being seen in the world we live in is vital to our future.”
One thing is certain, this season’s Banana Republic‘s ad has to be one of the cutest there are.
