EATON COUNTY, MI – Jackie West can't be home for Christmas, so Don West took the holidays to her.
He dressed as Santa and had a guitarist play carols while he sang to her at a nursing home in Charlotte during a Christmas party for residents and staff earlier this month.
He gave her some nice Christmas blouses she can wear and handed out presents with tags labeled "from Jackie."
As a Christmas surprise, Don and Jackie's four sons are planning a video call on Skype so she can see all of them at once. One son lives with Don, but the others live in California, Colorado and Tennessee.
Don is planning a longer visit for Christmas Day — he'll stay for most of the rest of the day after the video call instead of his usual two-hour visit. He hasn't missed a day visiting Jackie since she had a stroke in June of 2017.
Jackie will turn 87 on New Year's Eve. She had that first stroke one night when the couple was watching TV after getting back from dancing at the senior center in Eaton Rapids.
They went dancing about every week.
"I still dance with her. She'll be laying in bed, and I say to her, 'Jackie, now you and I are going to pretend we're dancing.' And I put my arms around her, and she grabs me right here," he said, pointing to his shirt near the top buttons.
Jackie and Don met at a dance. He was at General Motors Institute in Flint, and she was training to be a nurse at Hurley Medical Center.
"I just fell in love right there," Don said. "Never fell out of love since then."
During 64 years of marriage, they've never once fought or had cross words, he said, and they've had so many good times, traveled to London, Alaska, Hawaii and all over Mexico. They did everything together, always.
Don and Jackie's son Dana said his mom never had a bad word to say about anybody.
"I keep thinking that I'm just so happy that we did all these things, and I keep reminding her," Don West said.
It's hard being home without Jackie and knowing she can't come home, he said, but he keeps himself busy, even at 90.
He writes stories based on memories – he has 31 done so far – for their sons to read one day. He plants vegetables and raises chickens. He's carved about 40 canes, though he's given away all but three: one of Mickey Mouse, one of a peacock and one of the train from Polar Express.
He made and sent out 100 Christmas cards this year. Don and Jackie used to make the cards together. She would "dress them all up" and he'd write in them. He's doing it all himself, now, but he took them to her to see before he sent them.
And, while it's hard leaving every day, Don said he wouldn't give up those visits for the world.
He considers himself lucky to have had her as the love of his life and is keeping her around for as long as he can.
Jackie improved after the first stroke. Then she had another. That stalled progress she had made in swallowing and regaining the use of her left arm and left leg. Now, she eats through a feeding tube.
"I know there's going to be an end to it. I know that. And I'm prepared for that because I've had good times right now," Don said. "Every day, I can tell her I love her, and she knows I'm talking and she responds. We communicate with hands and eyes."
Jackie will bop his hand when he sings to her or open her eyes to let him know she wants him to keep talking.
Her favorite song is 'You Are My Sunshine,' and Don plays it on the harmonica and sings it to her.
"We've had a great life," he said. "And it's still going yet."
