As Valentine’s Day volunteers approached with red and white roses, and bright yellow ones and purple ones as well, Terry Lester asked that his wife LaRene be given a red rose — her favorite over the course of their 66-year marriage.
He’d often over the years surprised her with red roses — on special occasions or no occasion at all. Just when he felt inspired, his wife said.
AARP’s Cupid Crew, in partnership with Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services, fanned out Friday morning so that Valentine’s Day volunteers could hand deliver more than 2,275 roses to older adults like the Lesters at retirement, assisted living and other group settings throughout the county.
Meals on Wheels delivery drivers and volunteers with the Rides for Wellness program provided more than 450 roses to those using their services, while county aging volunteers handed roses to nearly 1,200 at senior centers. AARP visited five retirement and assisted living facilities. And while most flower deliveries were in Salt Lake County, a retirement community in Ogden also benefited from the floral largesse, the roses themselves provided by AARP’s national Wish for a Lifetime program.
The Lesters live at Legacy Retirement in South Jordan. LaRene Lester told the Deseret News that her sisters Carole Mitchell and Margie White are neighbors there; they all moved in within days of each other four years ago.
Another neighbor at Legacy Retirement, Darlene McCann, said that Valentine’s Day has special meaning “because it’s a day of love.” And she misses her funny, thoughtful husband Lynn, who always made the day feel special.
They were married 54 years and he loved to surprise her on Valentine’s and other days, tucking gifts among the trappings of their daily life. Once, he put a new black leather purse in the cereal cupboard, knowing she’d encounter it when she made breakfast for their eight kids. Another time, he placed a brand new dress in the dirty laundry basket, a day brightener waiting to be discovered as she did chores.
She said she loved his sense of humor and when he’d visit the ice cream shop where she worked, he could always make her laugh. She said she liked his last name, too.
This is the 12th year for the rose delivery program nationwide, but just the second year that Utah has participated.
“It’s always a joy to witness the happiness that delivering roses brings to both the volunteers and recipients,” AARP Utah State Director Alan Ormsby said in a written statement. “Regardless of age, we all need human connection to thrive. But nearly 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and above experience social isolation. Delivering roses on Valentine’s Day is just one of the many ways AARP strives to connect with those over 50.”
“We love doing it. We are happy this year that more people got a rose and know that people are thinking about them,” AARP Communications Director Kristen Tripodi told Deseret News.
Paul Leggett, director of Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services, called the roses a “lovely gesture and represent the genuine care our staff and volunteers have for the older adults we serve. We appreciate AARP for bringing this issue of social isolation among older people to the forefront of the conversation this Valentine’s Day.”
Nationwide, AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime and its cupid crew were expected to deliver nearly a quarter-million roses on Friday.
