Chiefs grant fan's dying wish with goodbye kiss from team HOFer

[CGI_Ram]

Now THAT'S a football fan right there! RIP Betty J.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...rfans-dying-wish-with-goodbye-kiss-from-hofer

Betty Johnson was a Kansas City Chiefs superfan. Her family says she never missed a game. In fact, former Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe would come over to Johnson's spot in the stands and give her a kiss before each contest.

On Thursday, Johnson's health took a turn for the worse, and her dying wish was to see her beloved Chiefs one last time. The team responded, making Johnson's wish come true by sending former kicker and Chiefs Hall of Famer Nick Lowery to give Johnson a kiss.

"We sang a prayer, and he was going to leave, and we noticed that she was no longer breathing," Johnson's granddaughter Autumn Barricks said, according to KSHB.com. "We believe that she was just waiting to say goodbye to her Chiefs."

Pretty great of the Chiefs to make this happen for Johnson one last time, and really cool of Lowery to go do it.

 

[Memento]

I just read that. A really touching story.

 

[Ramhusker]

Good stuff. I have a son who has Tourette's Syndrome. Back when my wife and I were searching the country and the world for answers, we got an un-solicited phone call from Jim Eisenreich, a MLB player, for those that don't remember him. He was the President of the Tourette's Syndrome Foundation at the time and later formed his own foundation for children with TS. That call out of the blue did wonders for my wife and I in a seemingly losing battle at a time when we were exhausted, feeling all alone in our situation, and at wits end to put it mildly. I tell this story not to compare our past experience with a dying wish scenario but to emphasize what a great gesture and service it is for celebrities to reach out to others in a time of need. How Mr Eisenreich even got our name is still a mystery to us but his timing was a Godsend. Applause is in order to Nick Lowry and the KC Chiefs organization as well as Mr. Jim Eisenreich who by the way lives in Kansas City.

Funny, it just so happens to be Mr. Eisenreich's 56th birthday tomorrow.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Eisenreich

 

[CGI_Ram]

Good stuff. I have a son who has Tourette's Syndrome. Back when my wife and I were searching the country and the world for answers, we got an un-solicited phone call from Jim Eisenreich, a MLB player, for those that don't remember him. He was the President of the Tourette's Syndrome Foundation at the time and later formed his own foundation for children with TS. That call out of the blue did wonders for my wife and I in a seemingly losing battle at a time when we were exhausted, feeling all alone in our situation, and at wits end to put it mildly. I tell this story not to compare our past experience with a dying wish scenario but to emphasize what a great gesture and service it is for celebrities to reach out to others in a time of need. How Mr Eisenreich even got our name is still a mystery to us but his timing was a Godsend. Applause is in order to Nick Lowry and the KC Chiefs organization as well as Mr. Jim Eisenreich who by the way lives in Kansas City.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Eisenreich

 

[CodeMonkey]

That is cool. The Chiefs are a great organization and part of the community. Hell, Len Dawson is still the sports guy on TV there and the best telecaster on the radio on game day too.

I have lived in KC. They love their Chiefs! It's no lie that you could look at how people carried themselves on Monday and know whether the Chiefs won on Sunday.

Actually I used to work at Arrowhead both selling tickets and tearing them at the gate. That was a great gig. Money wasnt much but you were usually done working by the time the game got started. Half price food too. You didnt have a seat but you could always find a good place to watch. Occasionally there was a concert too. Arrowhead is such a great football venue.

They're doing a lot of things right in that little cow town over there.

 

[woofwoofmo]

As a 25+ year season ticket holder for the Chiefs, it does my heart good to read a story like this especially when it's about the home team. I think this also serves as a reminder that a great majority of NFL players are really good decent people who'd you be proud to have as friends, family or neighbors. With all the negativity a few have brought to the league, a dose of warm, touching news is appreciated.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Dwayne Bowe flies in for funeral.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...ns-kansas-city-funeral-86-year-old-chiefs-fan

Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe returned to Kansas City this week for a funeral for one of the team's biggest fans.

Bowe, who was released by the Chiefs last month and later signed with the Cleveland Browns, had a habit of kissing the woman, Betty Johnson of Independence, Missouri, at every game at Arrowhead Stadium, according to a report on the website of Kansas City TV station KCTV. She died April 16 at age 86.

Dwayne Bowe returned to Kansas City this week to pay his respects to longtime Chiefs fan Betty Johnson, who died at 86. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Bowe spoke at the memorial service and sent a flower wreath.

"You might have thought [you] were the Chiefs' No. 1 fan, but in so many ways, we were yours,'' Bowe wrote on the wreath. "Thanks for making Arrowhead feel like home to me. I will continue to play my heart out for you. Kisses to you my special angel."

Johnson's daughter appreciated Bowe's presence.

"He flew in for my mother's funeral to give her the last kiss," Susan Johnson said, according to KCTV. "Her celebration was just what she wanted. I wished I could have seen her in heaven today. I know she was there in spirit. It was a special ending to very special person."

Betty Johnson had been a Chiefs season-ticket holder since 1986.

 

[Ramhusker]

Say what you will about Dwayne Bowe but that was classy.

 

[Memento]

That was an incredibly classy move by Bowe. Not the biggest fan of his play, but kudos to him for seeing the important things of life.