A night out on the town for four friends almost ended tragically this past June, but the quick response from a retired Colonel changed everything.

These four are no strangers to Jeff's Catering in Brewer, where they're known for their moves on the dance floor....

"Well, he was doing the polka with an 85 year old woman."

But remembered, as of late, for a night here in March.

"We was dancing on the floor. I told her that I didn't feel good, so I said let's come out in the hall here."

Bob Emerson and his girlfriend Marion were spending the evening with the Hacketts, when Bob fell ill.

"Then he come here on this very couch and his eyes dilated and he died. He just went like that."

Fortunately, the retired Col. Tim Hackett and his wife were standing by watching and took action.

"Didn't really think too much about it at that point."

Hackett began performing CPR until emergency responders arrived to take over.

"I thought I could hear him breathe some, but he didn't seem to come back to consciousness until those folks got here. I was never glad to see anybody in my life as when they showed up."

Emerson was taken to a nearby hospital, where days later he learned he had suffered a stroke.

"He's a lucky man, yup, he really is."

As he still recovers now months later, the events of that night are difficult to picture....

"I still can't visualize that he would go out of his way to help me."

But he's grateful to his friend...

"I'm awful glad it turned out the way that it is because he's an awful nice guy."

Who not only saved his life....

"To be perfectly honest I don't think I really did anything, anything exceptional that almost anybody I know wouldn't have done."

But put him and Marion back out on the dance floor.

"We came back. We been back last week, came back dancing. We danced quite a few dances, didn't we Bob?"

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