It came as a surprise. Surely, Major Alyce Wallin thought, her granddaughter was joking. She was in rehabilitation recovering from a fall with a head injury when Sierra asked if she’d perform her wedding ceremony that had been postponed numerous times due to the pandemic. Sierra and her fiancé, Trevor, had decided that moving ahead with their lives and celebrating with family were the important things.
Assured Sierra was serious, the major didn’t skip a beat. At 96, she understood time is precious, as is her dear granddaughter. A new uniform was ordered, and inquiries were made about any qualifications needed besides her ordination when she became an officer in 1948. During their officership, her husband, Ehlert, had performed all the weddings; though this was her first, Major Alyce was undaunted.
As preparations picked up momentum, so did the excitement. Undeterred by being legally blind from macular degeneration, she began memorizing everything she would say. And when melanoma was discovered a few months before the big day, she faced that head on as well. Just two weeks after her last radiation treatment, Major Alyce performed the wedding ceremony. She told the couple how proud she was of the compassionate people they each had become, challenged them to be devoted to each other, and encouraged them to continue to see the positive along their journey— something she has practiced her whole life.
