Lonnie Dench Remembered As Accidental Thanksgiving Invite Meme Goes Viral Again

The Dench and Hinton families became internet sensations after Wanda Dench accidentally texted a Thanksgiving invite for her grandson to Jamal Hinton, leading to a new tradition where the two families gathered together for the holiday each year and warmed the internet by doing so. However, this year’s celebrations are taking a more somber note as fans of the group are remembering that Wanda’s husband, Lonnie, passed away from COVID-19 earlier this year.

Hinton took to Twitter as part of the How it Started vs. How it’s Going meme, sharing a screenshot of the initial conversation and invite that was extended to him by Dench in 2016, and then also added photos from subsequent years, including one of himself, Wanda, Lonnie, and his now-wife, Mikaela. However, he also posted a somber reminder that since their 2019 gathering, tragedy struck, as both Wanda and Lonnie contracted the COVID-19 virus—and Lonnie is no longer there to celebrate with them.

“The holidays coming up are bound to be hard on all of us after everything we’ve endured this year but we are going to try our hardest to spread as much love and positivity as we can in the next couple of months,” he wrote.

He also added how Thanksgiving wasn’t going to be the same this year now that they are without Lonnie.

The Washington Post reported on Lonnie’s death in April after Hinton announced on Twitter that both he and Wanda had contracted COVID-19 and that he was in the hospital fighting that and pneumonia. Wanda was under a two-week quarantine, but Lonnie did not survive.

It is unclear how the group plans to celebrate the holiday in 2020, not just because of Lonnie’s death, but because of restrictions still in place due to the ongoing pandemic. Arizona, the state they live in, currently has guidance which states that gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited, which, depending on how many people would usually be in attendance at the event, could affect their celebration.

In addition, the CDC did release guidelines about the holiday season, including Thanksgiving, which also discourages large gatherings and encourages virtual events.

Pictured: Families pray before Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 24, 2016 in Stamford, Connecticut. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images