On Saturday, May 2, officers from the Henry County Police Department led a parade of friends from McDonough First United Methodist Church in a surprise parade for Jimmy Gorham in honor of his 83rd birthday. Gorham made his way up the driveway just as the parade drove past, smiling and waving at the more than 20 cars that showed up to celebrate the occasion.

  “I was just floored by it. I was quite overwhelmed. I did not expect that many people,” said Gorham. “It meant so much. It was such a special day.”

  His daughter, Terri O’Quinn, organized the surprise, as his family was unable to fly in for the occasion. “I am the only one here. I have a sister in Ohio, a brother in Texas, and a brother in Oregon. My mother passed away last November, so we just wanted to do something extra special because I knew it was going to be a hard one for him,” said O’Quinn. “I emailed my Sunday school class, his Sunday school class and the choir at our church and they really did follow through. We have a really special church family. We just all wanted to show how much we love him and appreciate him.”

  Before the parade, Gorham was able to Zoom with his family that live out of state.