ATHENS, Texas (KETK) — Most people have seen those heart warming videos online of soldiers surprising their loved ones. This week, one Athens mom experienced a moment she’ll never forget and it was all caught on camera.
What started out as an ordinary day at Central Athens Elementary, was not quite so ordinary for the custodian, Lottie Cofer. She has worked for Athens ISD for 19 years.
After being deployed overseas, Army Sgt. Tacameo Barker, Cofer ‘s son, was about to give her a big surprise.
“My second deployment, I was stationed in North Carolina at Fort Bragg, so I didn’t get a chance to come back to Texas, so now I’m stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, so now that was like the perfect opportunity to go ahead and surprise her,” he said.
Amy Wood, the school’s counselor, was part of the team that hatched the surprise.
“It was a cold, dreary day and she said when I asked her how she was doing, she said I’m making it and I thought it’s going to be really good in a little while,” Wood said. “You’re going to get a good surprise!”
And a good surprise is exactly what Cofer received.
“He tapped me on my shoulder, said mama, and I said ‘ah’ and hit the floor, and got back up and hugged him,” she said.
Sgt. Barker said he wanted to show his mom just how much he loves her, because she’s done so much for him over the years. He said she was widowed with three children when he was just 3-years-old.
“After watching all the surprise videos, I was honestly expecting just some tears, but nah, I got a little more than some tears,” laughed Sgt. Barker.
And for right now, he said he is just enjoying time with family. However, his mom said she has high hopes for something else now that he is close to home.
“To be a grandmama,” she exclaimed.
Sgt. Barker said that may just be in the cards.
(KETK contributed to this report.)
