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Tag: family friend

  • From burying to marrying: Funeral home director officiates wedding after judge doesn’t show

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    An Iowa couple ran into a wedding day hiccup Thursday when the judge scheduled to marry them didn’t show up, but love and a quick phone call found a way.Alexis and Rean Webb planned to tie the knot at the Marshall County Courthouse at 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. It was always meant to be something intimate, where they would be surrounded by close loved ones. “We wanted something very small and low-key,” said Rean Webb. The couple, joined by their children, posed for a photo inside the courthouse.Unfortunately, just moments later, they would learn the judge they had an appointment with wasn’t going to show up, and there wasn’t a different judge available. While the no-show could have derailed their plans, the Webbs kept calm. In fact, they said they were more surprised by how quickly everything came together next.”My dad instantly jumped up, and he was like, ‘I know somebody: Jody,’” Alexis Webb said.That “somebody” was Jody Anderson. He’s a family friend and is ordained. He and his wife are also the owners and funeral directors of Anderson Funeral Homes. Anderson said he was at home when Alexis’ father called his phone. His wife woke him up to let him know who was on the line.”I rolled into the funeral home. Parking lot was full of cars. Family members. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Anderson said.Still, he opened the doors to the funeral home’s chapel, welcomed the family inside, and took time to speak with the couple.”I took five to 10 minutes, met with them, discussed the importance, made sure they were both for real,” Anderson said.They were.Within 30 minutes of that first phone call, Alexis and Rean Webb were married in a ceremony the couple said turned out to be more meaningful than they expected.”It was even better than we expected because we kind of did get a real wedding in a sense. We’re in a chapel. I got to walk down the aisle with my dad. The girls got to be flower girls. My son got to be the ring bearer, and his son got to be his best man. I mean, what more could we ask for?” Alexis Webb said.For the Webbs, what began as a setback ended with a wedding they’ll never forget, and they’re grateful for Anderson.As for Anderson, helping was never a question.”It goes back to my career as a funeral director. The phone rings? I go. I mean, you don’t say no. You help people, and I think that’s what the good Lord put me on the Earth to do, is to help people, and I was just happy to help,” Anderson said.

    An Iowa couple ran into a wedding day hiccup Thursday when the judge scheduled to marry them didn’t show up, but love and a quick phone call found a way.

    Alexis and Rean Webb planned to tie the knot at the Marshall County Courthouse at 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. It was always meant to be something intimate, where they would be surrounded by close loved ones.

    “We wanted something very small and low-key,” said Rean Webb.

    The couple, joined by their children, posed for a photo inside the courthouse.

    Unfortunately, just moments later, they would learn the judge they had an appointment with wasn’t going to show up, and there wasn’t a different judge available.

    While the no-show could have derailed their plans, the Webbs kept calm. In fact, they said they were more surprised by how quickly everything came together next.

    “My dad instantly jumped up, and he was like, ‘I know somebody: Jody,’” Alexis Webb said.

    That “somebody” was Jody Anderson. He’s a family friend and is ordained. He and his wife are also the owners and funeral directors of Anderson Funeral Homes.

    Anderson said he was at home when Alexis’ father called his phone. His wife woke him up to let him know who was on the line.

    “I rolled into the funeral home. Parking lot was full of cars. Family members. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Anderson said.

    Still, he opened the doors to the funeral home’s chapel, welcomed the family inside, and took time to speak with the couple.

    “I took five to 10 minutes, met with them, discussed the importance, made sure they were both for real,” Anderson said.

    They were.

    Within 30 minutes of that first phone call, Alexis and Rean Webb were married in a ceremony the couple said turned out to be more meaningful than they expected.

    “It was even better than we expected because we kind of did get a real wedding in a sense. We’re in a chapel. I got to walk down the aisle with my dad. The girls got to be flower girls. My son got to be the ring bearer, and his son got to be his best man. I mean, what more could we ask for?” Alexis Webb said.

    For the Webbs, what began as a setback ended with a wedding they’ll never forget, and they’re grateful for Anderson.

    As for Anderson, helping was never a question.

    “It goes back to my career as a funeral director. The phone rings? I go. I mean, you don’t say no. You help people, and I think that’s what the good Lord put me on the Earth to do, is to help people, and I was just happy to help,” Anderson said.

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  • ‘Should not be like this’: Maryland woman who lived in US for 30 years gets deported to Vietnam

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    Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.”I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.”She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.”She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.”I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.

    Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.

    Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.

    “I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.

    The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.

    She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.

    In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.

    “She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.

    Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.

    “She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.

    At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.

    “I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.

    Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.

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