Even before Crescent Cove opened its doors, the Minnesota Twins have supported our Home, in large part due to the legacy of Harmon Killebrew and the efforts of his wife, Nita.

“Life is precious and time is a key element. Let’s make every moment count and help those who have a greater need than our own,” Harmon once famously said.

Though Harmon has been gone for 12 years, his generous spirit lives on and connections continue to be made, all in his honor.

Nita Killebrew was at the Crescent Cove table during this year’s special Twins game, willing to talk to anyone about Crescent Cove or Harmon. She happened to see a woman walking by wearing a Killebrew jersey and stopped her to ask her about her connection.

It turned out that the jersey belonged to the wearer’s father, who was a huge Harmon Killebrew fan. She remembers being a child and coming to Met Stadium to watch Harmon play with her dad. Sadly, her father passed away just a few years ago, and she wears the Killebrew jersey to Twins games in her dad’s honor. The two women hugged and exchanged stories of the men in their lives who had passed on and how they would have been delighted at this meeting.

When asked what it was about Harmon that makes people connect still in his memory, Nita replies, “Because he was generous and kind.” She then related how their local radio station, KBOI in Boise, Idaho, did a story on Harmon Killebrew on one of the anniversaries of his passing. “They didn’t talk about his homerun record or his batting average, they told stories about how loving and kind he was.”

That’s a legacy that each of us has the opportunity to leave behind.