Twenty-five-year-old Jordan Garner, from Sydney, Australia, will go to any lengths to support and honor his family. Recently, he drove 12 hours to keep his 82-year-old grandmother company on his late grandfather’s birthday.
Jordan’s grandfather, Graham Gessey, passed away in 2023. He deeply loved his wife of 30 years, Rosalie Gessey, who served as his caregiver in his last years.
“She was his world,” Jordan told The Epoch Times. “They had a very beautiful relationship. It was just one of those very old-school relationships, which is awesome.”
The Surprise
In 2024, as Graham’s birthday approached, Jordan felt compelled to honor his late grandpa and give his heartbroken grandma a reason to smile. So, he decided to surprise her with a coffee date. Rosalie had enjoyed near-daily coffee dates with Graham when he was alive, and Jordan was determined to continue the tradition.Before long, he was in his car making the 12-hour drive from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland. “It was probably one of the toughest drives I’ve had to do in my life because it was raining; it was windy,” he said.
Rosalie, unaware that her grandson was coming to see her, was in mourning that day. “I’m going to have coffee alone this morning because there’s no ladies [here] that want to have a coffee with me,” she messaged him.
“I almost started crying when I saw that message,” Jordan said.
When he reached Queensland, he surprised some other relatives before making his way to a coffee shop he knew she planned to visit. Armed with flowers and a picture frame, Jordan waited, hiding around the corner.
At just the right moment, he greeted his grandmother, who was shocked to see him.
“When she saw me, she instantly just started tearing up,” Jordan said, adding that he had to hold back his own tears as she gave him a hug. He described the look on his grandmother’s face as “priceless.”
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The pair spent three hours chatting, catching up, and honoring the man they both loved so much. Though Graham was not physically present, he was certainly in their hearts.
Jordan stayed in town for three days—and made sure to take Rosalie out for coffee each day.
‘Family Is Everything’
Jordan’s mother was adopted by Rosalie and her first husband, whom Rosalie later divorced. Rosalie then married Graham, her former neighbor—a romance that would last over thirty years.Jordan’s clan considers Graham to have been “the king of the family” and Rosalie to be the queen.
“When [Graham] passed, in the speech that I said at his funeral, I promised him that I would look after [Rosalie],” Jordan said. “So, I took that on as my promise.”
To honor his word, Jordan has continued the coffee date tradition, taking Rosalie out whenever possible.
Jordan, who has just been offered a full-time job, is excited to let go of the four or five part-time jobs he’s been working to make ends meet. The family is also considering moving Rosalie closer to their home so she can spend more time with her great-grandchildren.
In the meantime, Jordan will continue to keep in touch, following in his grandfather’s footsteps of love.
