Hundreds of teens thank 'Waving Grandmother'

Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Students give touching send-off to 'Waving Granny'
Students give touching send-off to 'Waving Granny.' Karen Rogers reports during Action News Mornings on May 6, 2019.

Hundreds of teenagers showed up to say thank you and goodbye to a woman they call the 'Waving Grandmother.'

Tinney Davidson of British Columbia is now 88 years old.

CBC News reports, around 2007, when Davidson and her husband moved into the home on Guthrie Road near Highland Secondary School, they just started waving to the students every day and the students began waving back.

A bond between generations was born.

"I just liked the look of the children and they all looked in and I thought, 'If they're looking in, I'll wave to them,' and that's how it started," Davidson said in 2014 interview.

Her husband Ken passed away that year.

By then, the bond between Davidson and the students was so strong they even held a Valentine's Day assembly in her honor.

Then one late April day, hundreds of students came to say a final goodbye to Davidson before she moved into an independent living facility.

"I was shocked that there are so many kids that want to say goodbye to me," Davidson said.

One student said, "[Davidson] really brightened up all of our days, every time we walk by here."

It's not often you see a bond like this between teenagers and the elderly.

"I think I've connected very well with them. It's been fun," Davidson said with a laugh.