ST. LOUIS — When a limo pulled up to Spirit of St. Louis Airport, onlookers might have expected a celebrity or a dignitary to step out. Instead, the VIP was none other than 96-year-old Evelyn Kidd, a resident of Cedarhurst Senior Living of Tesson Heights. For Evelyn, this limo ride was just the first step on a journey to show that in life, the sky's the limit.
"I had no idea it would be this involved," Evelyn laughed, as she prepared for an adventure over 70 years in the making.
Evelyn's love affair with the sky began when she met her late husband, Gene, a Navy aircraft mechanic. After restoring a wrecked plane, Gene earned his pilot's license, and weekend flights became a cherished family tradition.
"I remember being very young and they're like, let's go flying," recalled Evelyn's daughter, Janet Singleton. "We'd be back there just laughing, going, do it again. Do it again."
Evelyn learned to fly too, meticulously logging her progress in a cherished logbook, even though she never obtained her license.
"Certain things I didn't want to do. I'd slip to land at the airport and I just hated that. ... I just didn't want to learn to fly," Evelyn reflected.
The last flight entry before today? "August the 20th. 1950," Evelyn chuckled.
Thanks to Cedarhurst's "Dream Come True" program, which grants residents a chance to realize a lifelong wish, Evelyn was ready to take to the skies once more.
"Dream Come True falls in line with our mission to have homes where people feel valued, feel loved, and to be able to live life to the fullest," explained Tara Powell of Cedarhurst Senior Living. "We've never had someone turn us down. Who doesn't want to give an older person the opportunity to do something they've never done. I can't imagine saying no to that."
Today's flight, courtesy of Elite Aviation, held a long-awaited treat for Evelyn: a bird's-eye view of the Gateway Arch, a sight that was strictly off-limits during her flying days.
"No, we didn't dare fly over the city," Evelyn said. "You weren't allowed to fly over cities unless you were in a big airplane."
As she soared over St. Louis, another breathtaking highlight awaited Evelyn. "To fly along the Mississippi to see where the Missouri and the Mississippi come together, that was great," she marveled.
Back on the ground, it was clear that a dream had been fulfilled and a spirit rekindled. And there would be a new entry in Evelyn's logbook: June 2024.
"I hope that next year somebody gets a wish and it happens for them like it did for me because it was really nice," Evelyn said.
At 96, Evelyn Kidd is living proof that it's never too late to chase your dreams and reach for the sky. "I'm just glad that I got to do it at my age," she said with a smile.
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