A Michigan senior living home gave a 95-year-old Detroit Pistons fan a surprise courtside experience he’ll never forget.
Darryl Raymond, who has lived at Waltonwood Cherry Hill in Canton for seven years, got to watch the Pistons defeat the Indiana Pacers 117-97 thanks to the assisted living facility’s Adventures by Waltonwood program.
“I’ve been to a lot of games, but never for anything like this,” Raymond told USA TODAY.
Launched last year, the program offers residents a chance to “live their best life” and enjoy a personalized special day or experience, according to Waltonwood life enrichment director Lindsay Charlefour.
“When he found out he was going, he was all smiles, couldn’t believe it,” Charlefour said.
As he headed to Little Caesars Arena on March 13, Raymond walked down a blue-and-red-balloon-decorated hallway as Waltonwood’s staff and residents cheered and held “enjoy the game!” signs. He received fist bumps and high fives on his way out.
“I heard all this noise, turned the corner and there were about 25 or 30 of them lined up and cheering me on,” said Raymond, a grandfather of four who was born and raised 15 minutes away in Belleville, Michigan.
“That was a good surprise,” the former high school football, basketball and tennis player said.
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Experience was ‘really special for him’
The Navy veteran, who was married for 68 years, has attended “at least a dozen” Piston games over the years.
Learning of his surprise evoked memories of basketball outings with wife Marjorie Bernice, whom he met on a blind date in March of 1948. She died in 2018.
It made Raymond “a little emotional,” Charlefour said.
“It gave him some time to reminisce on the last time he was at a Pistons game,” she said. “He had gone with his wife, and it was something really special for him.”
Of all the times he’s watched the Pistons play, he’d never sat courtside until now.
The Adventures by Waltonwood surprise included watching warm-ups from the court, cheering his team on from a club suite during the game, dinner and a Pistons swag bag. He also met former University of Michigan basketball coach and current Pistons coach, John Beilein, who Raymond described as a “very personable gentleman.”
He called his sons from his courtside seat during warm-ups with tears in his eyes, said Charlefour, who first met Raymond at one of Waltonwood’s golf outings in 2019. She was also there for his Pistons surprise.
“I think he said, “Guess where I am?” said Charlefour, who described Raymond as “one of the social butterflies” of the assisted living community.
“It was literally goosebump moments for Darryl throughout the entire evening, it was great,” she said.
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How the surprise came to life
The Adventures by Waltonwood program is about creating joyous, special memories for residents, according to Charlefour.
It has given a flower enthusiast a florist-for-a-day experience, provided helicopter rides over Detroit – and even offered a resident their first taste of McDonald’s french fries in years, according to Charlefour.
The life enrichment manager at Raymond’s home noted his love of sports and that he hadn’t been to a Pistons game in a while. Charlefour contacted one of Waltonwood’s owners to make Raymond’s unique experience possible.
“I understand (the Pistons) haven’t had a great record this year, so we feel like Darryl for sure brought good luck to the game,” Charlefour said.