There are brief moments when Jim Watkins’ wife, Janet, will see glimpses of the man her husband used to be before dementia stripped away nearly everything – memory, personality, physical vigor.
One of those joyous moments happened on Oct. 5.
Watkins, a Vietnam veteran, was honored with a motorcycle parade outside his home in Kearney, Missouri. Dementia in recent years has worn Watkins down, making even mundane tasks like leaving the house arduous. A couple of weeks ago, he was placed in hospice care.
A Parade of Honor
But on a warm, sunny Sunday in October, as the light roar of Harley-Davidsons filled the air, Watkins was in a better place, if only for a short time.
“I could just see it on his face. He kind of lit up when he heard those bikes come in,” Jason Watkins, Jim's son, told KSHB Channel 41 in Kansas City.
The elder Watkins once owned a Harley, riding his prized “Hog” almost every day. While age and dementia have halted that hobby, the passion for motorcycles has not wavered.
“You could see the spark come back,” said Ty Johnston, one of the parade’s motorcyclists.
Watkins, a U.S. Army veteran, served as a telephone operator in the Vietnam War. He’s been married to Janet for over 60 years. As Watkins’ caregiver, Janet has been by her husband’s side daily, watching helplessly as dementia has taken its painful toll.
“My husband is gone... that's hard to get used to,” Janet said. “There's been many sleepless nights.”
But when those classic Harleys paraded through his neighborhood, powered by their trademark V-twin engines, memories of Watkins’ own bike started trickling in.
“I had a Harley-Davidson, just about like this,” Watkins said, recognizing a machine like his old one.
With assistance from his nurse, Watkins rode his wheelchair around to check out each Harley.
While dementia and hospice care can bring about unknowns, Watkins’ nurses said the parade lifted his spirits. Oak Pointe, a community for seniors, and Luminary Hospice organized the parade, and about 70 people, friends, volunteers, and family, were there to honor a veteran going through a difficult time.
Still Serving Those Who Served
“We don't always get to honor a veteran while he's still living,” said Doug Stacer, of the Warriors' Watch Riders of Greater Kansas City. “This is awesome.”
Watkin’s wife said days like this, filled with friends, family, and ties to the past, can help Watkins feel like the person he once was.
“He might not remember himself or be able to express it, but I think it’s there in him,” she said. “The feeling. Sometimes it's just the feeling of pride that will keep a person going. He will have that.”
Watkins’ parade would not have been possible without strangers coming together to honor a veteran they don’t even know, to help ease his constant struggle from dementia.
“It’s really cool that people will take time out of their day, their weekend, to come celebrate someone that they don’t know,” Jason said.
Groups and organizations that came together to honor Watkins were Oak Point, Luminary Hospice, Independence American Legion Post 21, Warriors’ Watch Riders or Greater Kansas City, Odessa VFW #5657, Christian Motorcycle Association, and Smithville Patriotic Stitchers.
