Vow renewal fulfills dying husband’s wish

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Larry Kimble Sr. crossed off the top item on his bucket list two days before he died when he finally saw his wife of 43 years in her wedding dress.

Larry and Mary Anne Kimble were married April 1, 1976, at the Mahoning County Courthouse in downtown Youngstown. Their second ceremony took place Jan. 17 in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.

“I always wanted to have a regular wedding, where I would wear a wedding dress, but it never happened,” Mary Anne said.

The couple and their four children – Holly, Michelle, Larry Jr. and Kevin – were in the process of planning a vow-renewal ceremony when Larry’s rapidly deteriorating health forced them to scrap their plans.

The morning of Jan. 17, “we decided to take him off of the machines,” Larry Jr. said.

ICU nurse manager Nicole Hull witnessed the prospect of the wedding activate the Kimble family, and they decided to revive the abandoned plans.

“Mary Anne had told me that it was Larry’s wish for her to wear a wedding dress,” Hull said.

With the assistance of several local businesses, Hull pulled off an incredible feat – planning a wedding in four hours.

With flowers from Blooming Crazy, dresses from Diva Donations and a cake made at the hospital, Larry’s room was transformed into a wedding venue.

Surrounded by her children and grandchildren and with her husband by her side, Mary Anne finally donned her wedding dress.

And while Larry had been in and out of consciousness in his final days, he was awake to say, “I do.”

“He didn’t miss the kiss,” Michelle’s boyfriend, Lawrence Terry, added.

Larry Kimble Sr. was taken to hospice care Jan. 18 and died the next morning.

For his family, Larry’s spirit lives on in the memory of their special day.

“Dad wanted to go out with a celebration like that for sure,” said Kevin.

His brother Larry Jr. added, “It’ll be a memory we’ll never forget.”