MURRAY, Utah — It's a close-knit friendship between a group of ladies that maybe didn't start with a game of cards, but that has certainly strengthened their bond.
Friends for years and years, but for more than a decade they've been meeting nearly each morning to play cards together and at a location that has become a caring community.
Nearly every morning, Marilyn Jensen and her two friends, both named Karen — Karen Childs and Karen Watkins — would meet at the Chick-fil-A near 51st and State Street in Murray. Sometimes they came three or four times a week. Sometimes they came every day.
They'd order their usual breakfast, grab their favorite drinks and settle in for a game of cards.
The Chick-fil-A employees knew them and knew their orders.
“They’ve been such a special part of our family and our Chick-fil-A community for so many years,” said Andrew Allman, owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A locations in Murray and Fort Union.
Allman said the restaurant's team knows which drink each woman prefers, how much ice they like and even where their drink should come from.
“They know what fountain they like it from,” Allman said with a smile. “They know who they love to have serve them, and I love having their personalities and their smiles here in the morning each day.”
The women played games including Skip-Bo, Phase 10 and Rook, but the cards were really just the excuse to spend time together.
They traveled together over the years, shared countless mornings and became part of one another's routines.
Then, last week, one of the women in this beloved trio sadly died unexpectedly.
Her husband, Russell Childs, came to Chick-fil-A Saturday to join the group and to thank the people who had become such an important part of his wife's daily life.
“She liked it. She enjoyed it,” Russell said of Karen's mornings at Chick-fil-A.
When the restaurant learned of Karen's death, the Chick-fil-A team offered to cater her funeral and sent flowers to the family.
The gesture meant so much to Karen's family that they reached out to share their appreciation, and not knowing how to properly thank the local franchise, they contacted FOX 13 News to try to share their story.
Russell said Chick-fil-A has always gone out of its way to take care of its customers.
“Chick-fil-A is a good place. They really take care of their customers,” he said.
Marilyn said she and Karen never let health issues or difficulty seeing the cards keep them from their morning tradition.
“We’ve never stopped,” Marilyn said. “We say, 'Is it my turn to drive or yours?' And she would pick me up or I would pick her up because we live nearby. We always meet Karen and we enjoy our time. It’s been fun. It’s been great. And I miss her like crazy.”
Now there is an empty spot at the table, but the cards are still being dealt.
And the friends say they plan to keep playing, remembering the friend who loved these mornings right alongside them.
On Saturday, they even invited FOX 13 reporter Amy Nay to sit down and join them for a hand, as she came to learn of their special bond and share their story.
What began as a simple game of cards became something much bigger: a community of friends, a familiar place to gather and a reminder that sometimes the people serving your breakfast can become part of your family, too.
"We started with a full booth, but it's now just the two of us, but it's been fun," Marilyn said, vowing they'd continue to try to come and keep playing.