When Leonard and Shirley Matties, both 91, celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary, their mutual love was plain to see. Shirley’s eyes sparkled with recognition upon greeting her husband; with Shirley dressed in a beautiful pink gown and clasping Leonard’s hand tightly, onlookers would have been forgiven for forgetting that Shirley has dementia.
Ardis Behrendsen, a certified nurse’s aide at Grace Manor Care Center senior living facility in Burlington, Colorado, where the couple lives, was touched by their story. She decided to help the elderly couple’s family make party arrangements for the Oct. 11, 2019, celebrations.
