LAKELAND (FOX 13) -
Richard Boatright truly has something to dance about. He is alive.
He and his wife Deb own the studio "Lakeland Ballroom" and have made hundreds of friends in the dance community over the years.
Terri Lynn Goodrich is one of them. On Labor Day, Goodrich saw an obituary for a Richard Boatright in the newspaper, and broke down.
"I immediately started crying and was in a state of disbelief and sent an e mail to my boss saying I needed to be off Wednesday because there was a funeral I needed to attend," she told FOX 13.
Goodrich also sent a group email to 300 dancers across Central Florida. Soon after, it seemed like the news was spreading like wildfire. The calls began coming into the Boatright's home, one right after the other.
"People were very surprised when I would answer it," said Richard.
It turns out that another man with the same name, about the same age, did die over the holiday weekend in Lakeland. But that one spelled his name with a "w"---Boatwright.
Deb's husband -- Boatright -- does not.
"It's nice to know that you will be missed," Boatright offered.
