By Cindy Gladden, Record Staff Writer
The children of Jon and Carol Luetkemeyer spent the past few weeks scheming, plotting, and telling lies to pull off a special surprise. In addition to celebrating their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, they wanted to celebrate being together, a strong family that has overcome much. The Luetkemeyers knew their son’s wife, Betsy, and two of their children were coming home from England to visit just in time for their anniversary party on March 16. They didn’t know the rest of the story. Carol Luetkemeyer has fought a few battles in her life. She conquered breast cancer twice in the past 30 years and recently was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Many women in Carol’s family have been touched by cancer, including one of her daughters. “We have a genetic predisposition,” said daughter Shannon Owenby. “What we are planning we think will be special to Mom and Dad.” Owenby and her sisters — Karen Luetkemeyer and Tammy Williams — began scheming to give their parents a very special surprise. What the Luetkemeyers didn’t know was that their son, Matt, who serves in Mildenhall, England, also would be arriving from England to surprise his parents. On Tuesday, March 12, the couple was told their 4-year-old granddaughter, Maggie, was going to have her hair cut so she could donate it to Locks of Love. Daughter-in-law Betsy thought it would be a great tribute. In addition to Carol’s cancer battles, Betsy’s mother also is fighting a desperate battle with cancer. She already lost her father to cancer 10 years ago. “The two things have kind of intertwined,” said Matt. “This is about the unity of a family coming together in a time of need.”“We decided to donate to Locks of Love when we knew we were having a girl,” said Betsy. “Both of our families have been affected.” Still unaware their son Matt and grandson Wesley had arrived in Warrenton, several family members agreed to meet at Vintage Salon for Maggie’s haircut. As Carol entered the salon, she didn’t notice the two people sitting under the hair dryers, donned in capes with magazines in front of their faces. Grandson Wesley wore a long dark wig, while son Matt hid his bald head with a hair cap. It wasn’t until they began talking that she realized who they were. After a joyous reunion between family members, Patty Schroeder, of Vintage Salon, braided Maggie’s hair and cut it in honor of Maggie’s two grandmothers. “Our family has learned that people need to be constantly aware of cancer,” said Matt. “Awareness is key,” added Betsy. “You need to be vigilant about yourself and your family.” Jon Luetkemeyer may have said it best when he described his family’s spirit. “We all have positive attitudes which causes a whole lot of healing,” he said. “We pray, and a whole lot of people pray for us, too.” Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that helps provide hairpieces to children suffering from a variety of illnesses. For more information about the organization visit www.locksoflove.org. Cindy Gladden Photo. LOCKS OF LOVE DONATION — Maggie Luetkemeyer, front, traveled from England to donate her hair to Locks of Love in honor of her grandmother's fight against cancer. From left are Patty Schroeder, Vintage Salon in Warrenton, Gared Williams, Shannon Owenby, Tammy Williams and Karen, Wesley, Jacob, Betsy, Matt, Carol and Jon Luetkemeyer.
