Dad's sister dies at 19 – decades later, his daughter wears her old dress to prom

It feels like there’s so much sadness and woe in the world that it’s our job here at Newsner, our duty, to place an emphasis on trying to find stories that warm the heart.

We’ll be the first to admit that’s easier said than done in today’s climate, where the mainstream news outlets seem to be fueled by tragedy and fear-mongering alone. Nevertheless, compassion and love are there to be found if one looks hard enough, which is why we’re delighted every time we dig out a piece of news that’s sure to leave readers with smiles on their faces.

Now, we all know that high school prom night is one of the biggest social events of a young person’s life. It certainly was for Kenzie, a student from Trenton, Michigan, who simply couldn’t wait to attend her prom in 2019.

It goes without saying that for most girls, the highlight of a high school prom is getting to choose which dress to wear. I can vividly remember my sister sweating and stressing over what she would wear for weeks leading up to the big night, and even when she finally nailed down her dress, she wasn’t entirely satisfied until weeks after the event.

Fortunately, Kenzie had no such conundrum.

No, she knew right away what dress she was going to don, and it was one that held very special significance to her family. It was a white lace number that had been in storage for decades, but Kenzie knew she simply had to get it out and give it another chance to see daylight.

So it was that when prom night rolled around, she got ready and told her dad to step outside and meet her on the back patio to say goodbye before she headed off to have fun.

What her dad didn’t know was that he’d already seen Kenzie’s dress on another young woman before, though it was a good many years ago.

It turned out that Kenzie had taken her father by surprise through wearing his sister’s old prom dress. Tragically, she had passed away aged just 19, so Kenzie’s gesture was one done in the spirit of keeping her late aunt’s memory alive.

Needless to say, Kenzie’s dad grew emotional the moment he recognized the dress. Fighting back tears, he embraced his daughter and did his best to keep a stiff upper lip.

“I’ve literally been trying to hide this from you for so long,” Kenzie said.

Watch the video of the dress unveiling here:

Daughter wears dads sisters prom dress who passed away
"I surprised my dad by wearing his sister's prom dress, who passed away when she was 19, to my own prom" ??
Posted by VT on Friday, May 31, 2019

The video of Kenzie’s reveal has been watched over 650,000 times on Facebook since 2019, and the comments are every bit as heartwarming as her decision to reuse her aunt’s old garment.

“She looks stunning and the dress is gorgeous.” one person commented.