DENVER — Bell ringing for the Salvation Army has become a decades-long Christmas tradition for one Colorado family. But this year, they’re doing it with heavy hearts while honoring the man who started it all.
Merrill Fie started bell ringing 68 years ago. As time went on, his family grew — and so did the number of bells.
“I love it,” said Fie’s wife, Dorie. “I love that all my grandchildren and my children are here."
Since the age of two, Bridget Anderson has been helping her grandpa raise money for the Salvation Army.
"It's just our annual tradition we do as a family,” Anderson said.
This year is the family’s first year bell ringing without Fie.
“He was a powerhouse, an inspiration to everyone,” Anderson said.
Fie passed away in March at the age of 94. On Friday, his family gathered outside the King Soopers on Colorado Boulevard to bell ring in his honor.
"Grandpa would be so happy and you're even in his spot right now,” Anderson said to her grandmother.
While most people ring with small bells, Fie was known as the man with the big bell. Anderson said that bell has been in their family since 1896. It belonged to her great-grandfather who lived in Germany. The bell was then passed on to her grandfather.
Anderson said they’ll continue to ring it in Fie's honor.
"He's such an impactful human being and the fact that we all still gather here in his memory really says a lot about his character and his legacy, and there needs to be more people like him," Anderson said.
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