ALEXANDRIA, Ky. — One northern Kentucky family honored their lost wife and mother by paying it forward to brighten the morning of dozens of people.
The Peters family celebrated what they called "Family Friday," where every Friday they put aside distractions and did something together.
"Our family began our Family Friday in the drive-thru at Dunkin'," 11-year-old Davis Peter said.
"Every Friday, especially when he was out of school, we would make sure we would enjoy time together as a family," Barry Peters, Davis' father, said.
Then, in June, Laura Peters, Barry's wife and Davis' mom, died after going into cardiac arrest at 41 years old.
"Since then we have learned to walk in a new normal," Barry said.
Barry and Davis wanted to honor Laura, so they made a trip to Dunkin'.
Laura "ran on Dunkin'," Davis said, getting coffee there at least four times a week. With that in mind, Davis and Barry did some math to figure out how much Laura would have spent at Dunkin' over six months.
"Since it's been six months, that would be four medium coffees a week at $2 a piece for the last 26 weeks, equaling $208," Davis said.
Barry and Davis then made a trip to Dunkin' with that money.
"I need you to take the $208; that's how much coffee she would have drank over the last six months," Davis said. "I need you to pay for everyone behind us until it runs out."
Barry and Davis then watched from the parking lot as cars rolled up and ordered their morning cup of Joe.
"Every time somebody pulled up and we'd say, 'You're paid for,' everybody's mouth just fell," Amanda Jones, a shift leader at Dunkin', said. "Then when we told them why, what had happened, everybody was teary-eyed."
"I don't remember one person who didn't honk their horn and be thankful," Davis said. "It was just really cool to watch people's reactions and be thankful for it..."
This story originally reported by Ally Kraemer on WCPO.com.
