We used to have the motto, “We don’t move people. We move 
friends.” Jo Carless was one of our unforgettable friends. She was advancing in age and knew it was time to “downsize.” She was also feeling some signs of the advancing years and thought she should start giving things to her kids.
We moved her into a smaller place; something that made life simpler. I also distributed her treasures to her kids in New York. One day she called and asked me to come over. She was starting to throw things away and asked if Judy would like her wigs now that her hair was coming back. Rather than hurt her feelings, I took several wigs with their Styrofoam heads.
A couple of weeks later we did what we called “a Family Move.” Anytime we had a job to North Carolina or Georgia, Jackie, Judy and I would head out in the truck. Jackie who was 8 or 9 years old was Vice President in charge of Cushions and Lamp Shades. Judy was often on the other end of a sleeper sofa, a job she hated.
One particular move took us close to Judy’s mother in Asheville, North Carolina. Judy packed up three wigs and we decided we were all going as Jo Carless. We put on our wigs and it was fun watching the reactions of the people as they passed us in the truck wearing our “Jo Carless’”.
When we arrived in North Carolina we surprised Judy’s family when we arrived wearing our different colored Jo Carless wigs. Anytime in the last 15 years when we saw someone wearing a wig we said, “There goes Jo Carless.”
A couple of months ago I had a call to move a unit from an Assisted Living Facility to Fort Myers. I met with the daughter and looked at the furniture and said, “This is Jo Carless’ furniture.” With a surprised voice she said, “You knew my mother?” I said, “Yes, very well.”
I said, “I am amazed to see this furniture. Your mother must have been at least 100 years old.” She said softly, “She was 105 when she died last week.” I told her about our Jo Carless Wigs and the great time we had with them in North Carolina. She got a laugh out of it and was happy to know that her mother was remembered.
To many, moving furniture is just moving furniture. To us, every time we move a piece of furniture or book a reservation on the phone we have an opportunity to make a new friend. We are so fortunate to have a treasure boat full of friends we have moved over the years.
What an incredible sweet story. Reminds me of how I feel when I sell a person a home and then some 30 years later they call me to sell the home for them. Kind of bittersweet.