The Villages Daily Sun ran an article featuring World War II veteran Irving Locker on his 99th birthday…
Irving Locker stopped by the Honor Grounds Cafe in the Restoring Hope Clothing Boutique thinking he was meeting his friend David Booth. Little did he know that Booth, the owner, was honoring Locker for his 99th birthday.
On Nov. 9, Booth surprised the World War II veteran by making him the first veteran showcased on the Honor Grounds coffee beans. Proceeds from the store and cafe benefit Combat Veterans to Careers, a Wildwood-based nonprofit that Booth founded to support veterans with health and wellness, housing, employment and more.
When Locker walked into the cafe and saw his own face on the bags of coffee, his face lit up with a broad smile. “Oh, David,” Locker said. “This is just phenomenal.”
Locker, and his wife, Bernice, of Trinity Springs senior living, said it was their first time seeing the new coffee shop attached to the clothing thrift store in Wildwood. Booth opened the store this summer and the cafe in early fall.
