Hundreds of carollers gathered in a park in the southwestern Ontario community of Exeter Monday night to fulfill a local man鈥檚 dying wish.
鈥�(It鈥檚) absolutely fabulous,鈥� an emotional Harry Towle told CTV London. 鈥�(I鈥檝e) never had anything like this in my life and I want to thank everybody for coming.鈥�
The 78-year-old has terminal lung cancer and will likely not see another Christmas. For his final holiday wish, Towle wanted to have dinner with his girlfriend, drive around Exeter to see the Christmas lights and then stop to hear some carols.
Although they only had a little more than 24 hours鈥� notice, nearly 300 people -- many total strangers -- arrived in Exeter鈥檚 MacNaughton Park to serenade Towle and his family with classic carols like 鈥淪ilent Night鈥� and 鈥淛ingle Bells.鈥�
鈥淲hen I pulled up, I (went), 鈥業s this all the people for my father?鈥欌�� Towle鈥檚 daughter, Louise Jones-Towle, told CTV London. 鈥淎nd I thought, 鈥楤oy, what an amazing turnout.鈥� Yeah, it鈥檚 emotional.鈥�
The turnout was also a total surprise to Towle, who grew up in the area and is now in palliative care at a nursing home in nearby Hensall, Ont.
鈥淚t really was a surprise,鈥� Towle said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect this.鈥�
But organizer Margaret Sutherland, who works at the Hensall nursing home, wasn鈥檛 surprised that so many people showed up after a call was put out on social media. The community, she said, is a caring one, and everyone wanted to make Towle鈥檚 last Christmas memorable.
鈥淲ithin 30 hours, it just kind of all came together,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t just snowballed in a beautiful way.鈥�
The gesture, Towle said, meant 鈥渁n awful lot.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 put it in words,鈥� he added, choking back tears.
