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Staff at a McDonald's in Minnesota made a special effort to pay their respects following the death of a regular and much-loved elderly customer.
Sarah Taschetta told Newsweek how her late grandpa Richard "Dick" Longenecker "went out for coffee with his buddies nearly every day" at his local McDonald's in Mankato.
A proud veteran, husband, father and grandfather, Longenecker died earlier in November leaving his wife of 64 years, Kathleen, bereft along with his seven children, 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Sarah paints a picture of her grandpa as that special kind of grandparent; someone who provided support, love and laughs for his entire family. "He was kind-hearted, non-judgmental and had a witty sense of humor," she said.
Grandparents have been shown to play an important role in children's well-being.
A study of over 1,500 children conducted by researchers from Oxford University found those who had a strong relationship with their grandparents experienced fewer emotional and behavioral problems than those who did not.
Longenecker wasn't just beloved by his family though.
As a regular at his local McDonald's, the Korean War veteran not only held court among a group of friends who put the world to rights over a cup of coffee, he also became popular among staff at the restaurant with whom he became familiar during his frequent visits.
Sarah said pretty much the "entire town" turned out for his funeral, which was an emotional day for his family. Yet among the flowers from friends, family and other loved ones, she found a bouquet that simply read: "With deepest sympathies McDonald's of Mankato."
It was a small gesture but one that meant a big deal to Sarah. So much so that she decided to share a picture of the flowers to Reddit where the post was upvoted over 7,000 times.
"I wanted to share the joy," she explained. Her post certainly achieved that aim with Redditors flocking to praise the restaurant workers for the gesture.
"That's sweet of the employee," Gorilla1969 said. "His presence there will be missed." Mcmansionhellgreed commented: "That is so nice, we need more instances like this sorry for your loss."
Tjrulez added: "I'm sorry for your loss and glad to hear they're good people around her." KillyScreams wrote: "It's nice to know he will be remembered by his friends!"
Sarah has never met Longenecker's coffee buddies. "I do know they continue to meet daily and miss his presence like the rest of us do every single day," she said.
She'll never forget her grandpa's special trips to McDonald's and it seems like the feeling is mutual.
"The owners of that McDonald's are the most incredible people," she said. "There are so many complaints about corporations like McDonald's and this was something a local chain did right and I'll never forget it."
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more