A Beloved Morning Tradition Continues After the Heartbreaking Loss of One Close Friend

For more than a decade, Marylin Jensen and her friends gathered almost every morning at their local Chick-fil-A to eat, laugh, and play cards. After one of the women, Karen, suddenly passed away, the remaining friends chose to keep the...

Michaela Gordoni

Published Nov 06, 2026

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A daily Chick-fil-A card game tradition continues after a senior group of card players loses one of their much-loved members. This group of friends in Murray, Utah, still want to do what their friend, Karen, loved—just getting together and having a little fun. And when Chick-fil-A remembered her at her funeral, they knew they had to give a big thank you.

Friends Keep A Chick-fil-A Card Game Going After Friend’s Sudden Passing

Marylin Jensen and her two friends, both named Karen, came to their local Chick-fil-A every day, except for Sunday, of course, to eat and play a game of Skip-Bo or Phase 10. And they’ve been doing it for over 10 years.

"It's been fun," the other Karen says. “But we started out with a booth full, and now we're just down to two of us.”

The store’s owner-operator, Andrew Altman, says, “Throughout the morning, we're making rounds and checking on them. And they all get the same thing: either chicken strips or chicken biscuits every morning and a side of pickles. And they each like either the Diet Coke or their water or their Cherry Coke with extra ice. But it's from special fountains; they know what fountain they like it from.”

They’re the Favorite Customers of Chick-fil-A

They also have their favorite servers. And Andrew loves seeing them there every day. When Andrew learned that Karen had suddenly passed, he offered to cater for the funeral and provided flowers. Karen’s husband, Russell, contacted a news station to publicize the story as a thank-you to Chick-fil-A.

Marilyn says she misses her friend like crazy. It’s hard to continue doing something when such a big piece—Karen—is missing. But this Chick-fil-A has meant so much to them, and they want to keep going and keep shuffling those cards.

"Serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13

WATCH: A Beloved Morning Tradition Continues After the Heartbreaking Loss of One Close Friend

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h/t: WRAL

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WRAL

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.

Originally published November 06, 2026.