Daughter Tearfully Weds at Dying Father's Bedside Just 4 Days Before He Passes Away
We don’t necessarily expect profound insights from pop stars, but Mat Kearney’s 2009 single “Closer to Love” encapsulated the human fragility we all face. In it, he wrote, “I guess we’re all one phone call / From our knees.”
That certainly held true for 20-year-old Ally Bryant. The Tarleton State University student got a call out of the blue on April 17, and it was the kind of call you hope to never receive.
Her father, 49-year-old Kory Bryant, had suffered a devastating stroke. It was so massive that, according to her brother Parker, doctors didn’t expect him to hold on for much longer.
“The last call I received from Parker was him telling me that I needed to get home — that dad wouldn’t make it,” Bryant said. “As soon as I got off the call, I fell to the floor and screamed.”
Bryant immediately left campus, and she didn’t go alone. She left with her fiancé, Taylor Nimrichter, who she had gotten engaged to in November 2017.
The couple had planned to marry in July, but given the news about Bryant’s father, they altered their plans — fast.
They got a marriage license ASAP and showed up with it at his bedside.
Bryant said, “There wasn’t a single dry eye in the room. It was very fast and crazy.”
Fifty people packed into the room to witness the pair’s nuptials. Bryant’s father’s best friend walked her down the hospital hall in lieu of an aisle, and she and Taylor took their vows before the hospital bed.
Bryant — now Nimrichter — knew how important it was to include her father in the ceremony, recalling, “One day I brought home my boyfriend at the time, Taylor, and dad loved him. Finally, he asked dad for my hand in marriage.
“They talked for hours and eventually brought mom and I into the room. Dad gave us their blessing and told us he loved us.”
Even though her father passed away a mere four days after her wedding, Ally knew he left her a heritage that would last her lifetime. “I grew up in a loving Christian household with my mom Missy, dad Kory and big brother Parker,” she said.
“I wish I could just have one more hug, or one more ‘I love you,’ or to just hear him laugh and see him smile. I sure do miss and love you daddy!”
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