“At the ‘ripe old’ age of 23, Irving’s mother said that he needed to find a nice girl and settle down, and he took her seriously”.

You could say that Irving’s mother was the driving force that ultimately brought Muriel and Irving together, but that wouldn’t give proper credit to the life-changing moment that led these two to soon meet during a crowded party on New Year’s Eve.

Muriel instantly fell in love with Irving- a ‘love at first sight’ moment, if you will. Maybe it was his charming good looks or his smooth moves on the dance floor, but these two instantly found something special in each other as the clock struck 12:00 that night. Just one party set in motion 62 years of an effortless marriage. Together, they grew a beautiful family and filled their household with enough love, laughter, and dancing that would last for generations to come.

Even as the two grew older together, Irving kept the spirit of when they first met alive by singing melodies of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra to his beloved wife as she fell asleep at night. His voice would instantly take her away to a safe place and she soon found that bedtime was her favorite part of the day. However, as time passed, Irving’s health declined and left Muriel aching for the sweet love songs of her husband. Song became a way to her remember happy memories of her husband and connect her to a part of Irving that she could hold onto forever.

Muriel, now 89, developed macular degeneration in one eye about eight years ago, and subsequently five years ago, succumbed to the same disease in the other eye. Today, she is considered legally blind. Because of this, her activity level has declined and she finds it hard to get out to do things as often as she once did or would like.

The one thing that Muriel can take advantage of is attending concerts. She may not be able to see, but when she listens to music, something awakens in her soul and reminds Muriel of something beyond herself, reconnecting her to the feelings she felt as she drifted to sleep with her husband not so long ago.

Although a CD player does the trick, Muriel wishes nothing more than to hear the sweet love songs of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra sung in person so she can relish in the live, authentic emotion that the songs evoke. Wish of a Lifetime thought there was no better time to grant Muriel her Wish than at her 90th birthday party while being surrounded by family members, as they threw an ‘Oscars’ themed the party in honor of her love of jazz.

This story may seem like the best part of Muriel’s night was having a private concert with Tony Bennett impersonator, Steve Leeds, but the biggest surprise was when Muriel’s grandson revealed that he and his wife were expecting! Making this Wish a special way to honor both her husband’s life, and celebrate the addition of a new one into the world, as well.