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Virginia Beach — While on her deathbed a few weeks ago, Mary Fallon made sure to order a cake.
Fallon understood she wouldn’t live to see it delivered to her friend, Fran Williams, who celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary Saturday with her husband, Jim. But Fallon was determined to make the couple feel special, said her daughter, Mary Ellen Chandler.
“She would be sleeping for 23 hours,” Chandler said. “When she would wake up, she would say ‘You need to make sure Fran’s cake gets there.’ ”
The baker, Michelle Schneider, said she had never received such a thoughtful request, especially not from someone on pain medication and in hospice care.
“It was the most special cake I have made in a long time,” Schneider said.
Fallon and Williams developed a bond shortly after meeting years ago at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Chesapeake. They were the type of friends who would treat each other to lunch during their birthday weeks.
Williams said Fallon was quite the character and loved to make people laugh. Fallon, who volunteered at her church’s food pantry, dressed in costumes every holiday — she had a closet full of them.
When Fallon moved into an assisted living facility about three years ago, she continued to try to lift people’s spirits with her holiday wardrobe. For Easter, she dressed as a bunny and handed out candy to residents.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, visitors were no longer allowed inside. Chandler said her mom aged very quickly while isolated.
Fallon’s family and Williams would separately visit her outside a window, and they would chat on their cell phones.
After Fallon fell and broke her nose in February, Chandler decided to have her move in.
Around Easter, Williams stopped by to drop off holiday cupcakes, although Fallon was too sick to eat them. When Williams arrived, Chandler welcomed her in to see Fallon, who was sleeping.
Williams sat on the side of Fallon’s bed, talking to her about how much joy she brought everyone and how much her friendship had meant.
Before Williams left, Fallon opened her deep blue eyes, grabbed her hand and told her she loved her.
Within 48 hours of that meeting, Fallon died — on March 22, Chandler said. She was 83 and had been suffering from congestive heart failure and arthritis.
When the baker called Fran and Jim Williams last week to tell them she planned to deliver a cake for their 50th wedding anniversary, they had no idea who sent it.
They were shocked to learn the cake had been sent from the grave, Williams said. She tears up every time she retells the story.
“I couldn’t compute it,” Williams said. “Her knowing how much it would mean to me that she did that — that’s a fantastic friend.”
Weekend Scoop
The fondant cake looked like a stack of books that said “The Williams Collection 1970-2021.”
Each book was designed to tell a story about the couple.
The first book had a logo from Old Dominion University where the couple met. The second said Atlanta, for the Braves — Jim’s favorite baseball team. The third book had wedding rings and a cross.
The fourth book had two bows to symbolize the couple’s daughters, and the next one had four ladybugs for their grandchildren and Fran’s favorite bug. The final book said “We struck gold.”
Williams’ two daughters said they were planning to do something special for their parents’ wedding anniversary.
But they told their parents: We are not going to top that cake.
Alissa Skelton, 757-995-9043, alissa.skelton@pilotonline.com