97-year-old serves as matron of honor at great-great-granddaughter's wedding
Juanita Courtney, lovingly known as Nanny, was there to witness the nuptials of Ashley and Josh Stewart
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Juanita Courtney, lovingly known as Nanny, was there to witness the nuptials of Ashley and Josh Stewart which took place at The Pointe at Lifespring in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Dec. 24. A bouquet was made to replicate the flowers Courtney carried when she was married in the 1940s. (The Pointe at Lifespring)
In a touching moment, a woman stood beside her great-great-granddaughter as the matron of honor at her wedding.
Juanita Courtney, lovingly known as Nanny, was there to witness the nuptials of Ashley and Josh Stewart which took place at The Pointe at Lifespring in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Dec. 24.
"They loved Jesus, loved each other and loved their family," Juanita Courtney's daughter, Vicki Howard, said of her mother and late father, Paul Courtney. (The Pointe at Lifespring)
Courtney’s husband, Paul, died Jan. 26, 2006. The couple would’ve celebrated their 59th anniversary six days after Paul’s death, Courtney’s daughter, Vicki Howard, said in a statement released to Fox News by The Pointe at Lifespring.
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"They loved Jesus, loved each other and loved their family," Howard said.
This wedding was part of The Pointe at Lifespring’s Living the Dream program. One resident is selected each quarter and a dream is fulfilled off their bucket list, Julie Sharp, director of sales and marketing at The Pointe, told Fox News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Juanita Courtney’s husband, Paul, died Jan. 26, 2006. The couple would’ve celebrated their 59th anniversary six days after Paul’s death. (The Pointe at Lifespring)
Staff at the senior living community bought Courtney’s dress and arranged to have her hair and makeup done. A bouquet was made to replicate the flowers Courtney carried when she was married in the 1940s.
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Courtney has three children, eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren with a sixth on the way. About 34 family members attended the Christmas Eve wedding.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(The Pointe at Lifespring)
Howard said the last Christmas spent as a "big family" was Christmas Eve in 2005, which was her father Paul’s last Christmas.
"Their home was filled with love, a safe place," Howard said of her parents. "A very humble home, and everyone felt loved with snacks or [a] meals and a place to talk and laugh and just be together as a family."
Juanita Courtney has three children, eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren with a sixth on the way. Seen in this image photographed on Dec. 24 is Courtney serving as matron of honor at her great-great-granddaughter Ashley Stewart's wedding in Knoxville, Tenn. (The Pointe at Lifespring)
Ashley and Josh’s Christmas Eve wedding was extra special with Nanny being part of the celebration, according to Howard.