A grandpa jumped to his feet in delight when he was surprised on his 90th birthday by his best friend since the 1940s, who lived out of state and didn’t think he could attend.
Jesse “Gene” Campbell and Conrad “Connie” Harrold have decades of memories together, meeting 84 years ago when living just down the road from one another as kids.
The friends attended the same church and shared a clubhouse has youngsters, and were at each other’s weddings while also sharing occasional reunions in elderly life.
Gene, a retired Master Chief who served 27 years with the U.S. Navy, lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with his wife, Jennie, 94, while Connie and his wife Joanne live in Denton, North Carolina.
The best pals hadn’t seen each other in about a year, their families said, and leading up to Gene’s milestone birthday, the Harrold’s were involved in a car accident so weren’t expected on the big day.
A few days before the event, though, Connie and Joanne were given the okay to travel, and so they reached out to Gene’s son, Mike, to help organize a surprise for his father.
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On June 29, Gene sat outside his home, waiting to receive a video call from Connie that Mark had said had been set up.
But then, as Connie came around the corner of the house in his wheelchair, a stunned Gene jumped up in shock, rising to his feet and walking over to his friend to give him a long-awaited hug.
The sweet moment was captured on video by Gene’s granddaughter, Milanda, 45, who later shared the video on TikTok.
Through her TikTok channel, Milanda said she looks to share clips and memories of upbeat moments with her grandpa – with this clip going viral.
She said: “Papa had no idea, and you can tell by his reaction it was like seeing his brother again.
“It was so heartwarming to us that I wanted to share it on my TikTok, as Papa is the reason I have such a large following.
“My grandparents mean the world to me and my family.
“Papa and Connie’s friendship has been strong for the past 84 years, and I can only hope to have such good friends in my lifetime.
“As couples they have done a lot together over the years, it truly is amazing.”