This Dad Took His Late Son's Girlfriend to Prom — and We're in a Puddle of Tears

Kelly O'Neil Brown

Life hasn't been the same for Kelly O'Neil Brown and her husband Robert Brown since losing their 19-year-old son Carter in a car accident in April. To make matters worse, they were still recovering from the death of their other son Chris seven months prior. But as prom season grew nearer, Kelly couldn't help but think of Carter's girlfriend, 18-year-old Kaylee Suders.

Kelly told POPSUGAR that Kaylee was taking Carter's death exceptionally hard and wasn't planning on attending her high school prom because of it.

"I was talking to my husband and mentioned that I was sad Kaylee was going to skip the prom since Carter couldn't take her," she said. "He responded, 'I'll take her.' I thought it was a great idea."

But Kelly and Robert needed to clear it with the school before Robert could accompany Kaylee on her special night.

"My husband called the high school principal to get permission before he asked her," she explained. "Rob was on the football coaching staff at the high school so his clearances were already on file, and the principal said absolutely."

"When Rob told her that he already got permission to take her, she started crying and said yes."

Although Kaylee was surprised by the invitation at first, she jumped at the chance to spend time with Carter's father.

"First she said something like, 'Um, I think there's an age limit and you're a little old,'" said Kelly. "When Rob told her that he already got permission to take her, she started crying and said yes."

Even though Kaylee was overcome with joy at the thought of attending prom, she had one small problem: she didn't have a dress to wear.

"Before Carter passed, Kaylee had dropped off her dress for alterations. Afterward, she called the seamstress and told her not to finish because she wasn't going to go after all."

But thankfully, Mercersberg, PA, is a small community. After learning about Carter's death, the seamstress had gone ahead and finished the alterations anyway in hopes that Kaylee would change her mind.

"After Rob invited Kaylee to prom, she called the seamstress again to get the dress finished. The seamstress told her it was already done," said Kelly. "She had been hoping Kaylee would change her mind about going."

By all accounts, both Robert and Kaylee had the best evening ever. They went to dinner before hitting the event in a fancy car. "Kaylee had a great time getting ready. They enjoyed taking pictures and dinner," said Kelly. "They left an hour before prom was over but had a great time dancing and laughing until then!"

Scroll through to see some of the most heartwarming photos from the pair's big night and try not to bawl in the process.