FROM STAFF REPORTS

An employee with Clanton’s Southern Care Hospice and Helena’s Maplewood Lane Assisted Living recently worked to make a wish come true for a Maplewood resident.

Southern Care Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Andy Rice also works for Maplewood Lane part-time, was instrumental in making the wish come true.

While sitting on the Maplewood Lane patio recently, Guynelle Davis, a resident at Maplewood Lane, mentioned she is a licensed pilot, Rice said.  She and her husband used to own an airplane and flew routinely.

They would fly their plane after supper at night and take their children with them. Rice said Davis told him of the time she took her Boy Scout troop up for a flight.

“After they were airborne, one of the boys asked her if she ‘knows how to land,’ and she burst into laughter,” Rice said.

Rice later called John Barnes, a local private pilot, and asked him if it would be possible to arrange a private flight for Mrs. Guynelle.  He responded ‘absolutely’ and the arrangements were made,” Rice said.

The day the flight left the Shelby County Airport was “absolutely perfect for a leisurely plane ride,” and Davis was able to wave to her family members as she took off.

“Mrs. Davis shows that no matter how we age in life, we will never outgrow our passions and love for the things that bring joy to our lives,” Rice said. “Mrs. Davis has blessed all of our hearts and as with most things in life, it is touching to see someone truly enjoy their passion.”