The Wedding of

It’s truly a Hallmark movie. Shannon works in the Life Enrichment Department at Arden Courts. Ricky, J.R.’s dad, moved there after years of living with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. From the moment Ricky arrived, Shannon formed a special connection with him. Over the next six months, she became one of his biggest advocates, supporting and caring for him every step of the way. Shannon worked Monday through Friday, while J.R. traveled up from Virginia on the weekends, so the two never crossed paths. That changed when Ricky began transitioning at the end of his life. J.R. stayed by his dad’s side until the very end, and Shannon—who had grown to love Ricky deeply—would frequently stop in to check on him, say her goodbyes, and play music for him. As J.R. says, “Shannon was my dad’s last and greatest gift to me.” From that unexpected beginning came a love story neither of us could have imagined. We navigated long distance, J.R. made the move to a new state, and eventually we built a home together. Now, after everything that brought us here, we’re getting married. We’ll always believe Ricky had a hand in bringing us together, and we can’t think of a more beautiful way for his legacy of love to live on.