Grieving granddaughter touched after pilots stand guard over her 'precious cargo'

KTVU reporter Frank Sommerville likes to share feel-good, real life stories on his Facebook page in a bid to highlight all the nice people that are out there.

And his most recent story about a grieving granddaughter does exactly that. 

A woman named Kathryn lost her grandmother last week, and had to travel via Alaska Airlines to her funeral. 

Kathryn was very close to Concetta Immacolata Mongiardo, who turned 103 in November, and was obviously devastated by her passing. 

In preparation for her gran's funeral and to pay tribute to the woman she described as the 'light of her life', Kathryn made a poster of her favourite photo: Concetta on her 100th birthday. 

The granddaughter wrapped the poster up in cardboard to keep it safe on the journey. However, this made the parcel particularly big, and when Kathryn reached the gate she was told that it would have to go in the cargo. 

Hearing this she broke down in tears and explained the significance of it to the gate agent Lourdes Pedemonte, who was so touched by the story she assured Kathryn that they would put it in a safe place. 

"A few minutes later, she came up to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said, 'you’re all set, the pilots are going to keep Nan in the cockpit.'

"I started to cry again because of the kindness Ms. Pedemonte showed me.

"When I boarded the plane, I was greeted by flight attendant Pam Keck who said, 'you must be the woman with some precious cargo.'

"I smiled at her, with tears in my eyes, and handed Nan over to her.

"The cockpit door was open, and when Ms. Keck handed Nan over to the pilots, they both made eye contact with me and told me not to worry, that they would take good care of Nan as we travelled across the country."

When they landed, Kathryn thanked the pilots and flight attendant for looking after Nan, forever grateful for the kindness they showed her. 

"So I looked them both in the eye, and, with my hand over my heart, thanked them for taking care of Nan.

"They both said, 'it was an honor' and offered their condolences.

"I really hope Ms. Pedemonte, Ms. Keck, and the pilots know the depths of my gratitude for the kindness and compassion they showed me that day."

What a wonderful story.