boy hugging father
Jade Small
Jade Small
April 11, 2024 ·  4 min read

Boy Rushes to Hug Stranger, Doesn’t Know He’s a Grieving Dad Who Lost His Daughter a Week Ago

Everyone loves pizza, well maybe not everyone, but the idea of pizza is that it brings everyone together, so we could at least love the idea of it. For one family, ordering pizza was a life-changing event. They did not expect the reaction they felt when their pizza was delivered one night by a delivery guy named Ryan Catterson. Ryan, being a navy veteran, was least expecting the attention that came. It was just a normal night of delivering pizzas for him.

The family in question lives in Rhode Island, and their names are Josh and Lindsey Sheely. They have a son whose name is Cohen Sheely, and he is only two years old! Most people would expect a two-year-old to be a little shy around strangers, but not Cohen. It was this little guy who warmed the hearts of the world when this story went viral after his mother made a post about it.

Not Just a Normal night of Pizza Deliveries

It started early one night in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and the Sheely family were craving some melted cheesy goodness. Hey decided to call upon their local pizza delivery service, known as Wicked Good Pizza. They ordered pizza and some ranch dressing to dip. He expected nothing much from this particular job, but possibly a decent tip. He just walked right up to the house and rang the doorbell.

Usually, he waited for a while for the clients to collect their money, but this time the door opened almost immediately and he was greeted by a friendly woman, and her toddler. Cohen was determined to be the receiver of the food, but Ryan gave him the ranch dressing cups instead. Lindsey could tell that he knew how to handle children because his 2-year-old arms would not be strong enough to hold the pizza box.

boy hugging pizza man
YouTube.com/abc4utah

After he handed Lindsey the box of pizza, he nodded his head and said his thanks. This is usually when he took his leave and moved on to the next delivery. But, as he turned away, he heard little Cohen protesting, and he turned back to look. The little boy was running right up to him and he threw his arms around him. Ryan was shocked at first, but he could not help but bend down to his knees and return the hug.

Read: Grieving Man Who Lost Grandson Sees a Toddler at Target, Gives Him $20

Warmed Hearts 

Lindsey was so touched by her son’s kindness that she decided to make a post about it as she had conveniently (and timely) filmed the whole thing. It very quickly went viral. Ryan Catterson was also touched by the clip, and he shared it as well. Lindsey could not help herself when the curiosity of this kind and understanding pizza delivery guy, who is so good with children, took over. She decided to do the very modern thing, and stalk him on his social media pages to find out a little about him. She did not expect what she found.

According to various posts that she read, Lindsay was heartbroken to find out that Ryan had lost his 16-year-old daughter only one week before their pizza delivery night. It was an unexpected death, and due to the COVID-19restrictions, she had not been given the funeral that she deserved, which could only have added to Ryan’s pain. Not only that, but he was away from his family (ex-wife and two other children) during this time.

After losing my daughter this past week, it just touched me because it was like she was there, you know, and it just meant a ton to me. It’s going to be tough to know that I’m not going to be able to hug her again”

Ryan Catterson and his late daughter, Alyssa | Source: YouTube.com/abc4utah
YouTube.com/abc4utah

A Little kindness goes a long way

Ryan Catterson was so touched by the kindness of little Cohen, he said that the warmth that filled his heart was enough to convince him that he had been touched by the daughter of his late teenage daughter, Alyssa. Lindsey posted an update to her Facebook post when she decided to start a Go Fund Me for Ryan! It raised over $30,000!

Little did we know what Cohen’s hug to this stranger would mean. Someone showed Ryan the video I posted to my IG, so he messaged me, and I found him on FB so he could share the video. Through this, we found out that Ryan unexpectedly lost his daughter recently, and that hug from Cohen was a little blessing from God. I believe in divine appointments and know that Ryan was the one to deliver our pizza for a reason. If you feel inclined, please consider donating to his GoFundMe to help with funeral costs. My heart is so heavy for this family 😔 anything to help lighten the burden, I know, will be greatly appreciated 

We all need a feel-goodc story like this every once in a while! Watch the adorable moment yourself.

Keep Reading: Grieving Parents Preparing for Son’s Funeral Find Harrowing Note He Left Them in the Living Room

Sources

  1. Mark Patinkin: The story behind the viral video of the R.I. boy who hugged the pizza man.Providence Journal. February, 2020.
  2. 2-year-old hugs pizza delivery driver who just lost his daughter.” Fox13. February, 2020.