My parents met when they were just kids. Mom was really shy but my Dad, who was already smitten, won her over with root beer barrels. They were married in 1951 and for the next 58 years they demonstrated to all of us true and lasting love. Mom cared for Dad and our family through his 4 service years in the Korean War, going back to school for his Master’s degree, and his many long, hard years working his way up to an executive level in a Fortune 500 company. Dad had finally retired when Mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Dad insisted on taking care of Mom at home for the 15 long difficult years of that cruel disease until she finally succumbed in 2009. Dad never complained about taking care of her. He never once asked, “Why me?” Instead he would just say, “She took care of me for all those years, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Dad is 91 years old now and experiencing some dementia himself these days. He often says that Mom will be coming to pick him up in the morning to take him home. I have no doubt that one of these days, Mom will be coming to do just that.
Sharing our families love story is what inspired my husband and I to write our love story. We dedicated an entire chapter to our long family history of Unfailing Love stories throughout our family trees. "Bloodline Blessings" covers several generations and the Legacy of Unfailing Love.
In honor of our mom Barbara Felton and our legacy (she is a GrandPad user,) we chose to share our family story to celebrate Love & healthy connections!
My parents, Corinne and Chuck Brown, met in the small Victorian seaport of Port Townsend, Washington, where they grew up. WWII had recently ended, and Chuck had just returned from his service in an armored infantry division in France and Germany. Corinne and one of her friends were celebrating their high school graduation at a small summer cottage resort near Olympic National Park, where Chuck was working at a fire lookout for the Forest Service. One look at Corinne, and he knew he’d met the woman he wanted to marry. Eventually, Chuck convinced Corinne to come along with his plan, and they married at the home of her parents on September 3, 1948. Ten years later, more abundant career opportunities led the couple of Seattle.
Just a few months ago, Corinne and Chuck celebrated their 72 wedding anniversary in the home where they raised their two children, and where they have continued to live for the past 60 years. Hard work, good humor, resilience in the face of adversity, and a commitment to their marriage, family, and community, are hallmarks of their lives. Thank you for your interest in this brief story of a devoted couple of the Greatest Generation.
We would like to submit our parents Anthony and Barbara as a Valentine’s Day couple!
Our father passed away in 2000, but they had 40 happy years together, three daughters, and seven grandchildren.
Our parents honeymooned in Bermuda, and here are photos of them. Don’t they look happy?!
They met at Sikorsky Aircraft when our father was an engineer and our mother was in the employment office. Since our father has passed, our mother has focused on continuing to be a wonderful and helpful mother and grandmother.
They would have celebrated their 60th anniversary last month. We sent her flowers to brighten her day. And she shared the pic of them on GrandPad!
It was Valentine's Day 65 years ago when Leon Keer proposed to me. We were married that year in August. After 64 years of togetherness, four children, seven grandchildren, six great grandchildren and an amazing career, Leon passed away on January 12, 2021. As Valentines Day approaches, I greet it with a sense of both delight and deep loss. It will always be a special day for me.
"On January 19, 1994 I started a new job as a courier. As I sat in the break room waiting for paperwork and assignment, I noticed that every time I would lookup that there was this handsome fella that would look away.
We would talk small talk for the next few weeks and whenever I would come in to work, my truck would already be cleaned of snow and on my side mirror would sit a Hershey kiss, until on Valentines Day while sitting at one of our stops waiting to pick up he approached my truck. And just like a shy little school boy said to me, ""this is for you, I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you"", and handed me a valentine pencil.
A week later we had our first date.
We were soul mates from the beginning! We are to this day inseparable.
We lived together for 4 years when our daughter was born. At that time he finally popped the long awaited question....of course I said yes!
Then on June 20, 1998 we were married. In 2000 we had our son.
We have been together for 27 years and counting!"
My parents met in high school in a small farming community . Dad was the class president and mom was the home coming queen. They married in the summer of 1953. My dad served in the Air Force during the Korean War. They started their family and over the years they had 3 children, 6 grandchildren and many great grandchildren. They were wonderful parents and grandparents and loved their family deeply. They moved into an Assisted Living Facility about a year ago and when Covid hit we were not allowed in to visit them. Dad passed away in October We as a family are so thankful that they had the Grandpad during this time, it allowed the entire family to video talk with them daily and share photos. This June will be their 67th Wedding Anniversary and I would like to Celebrate and Honor them both this Valentine's Day!
The love story of Peg and Bob Coler began in Watervliet, New York in 1956. Peg was a bridesmaid and Bob a groomsman in their mutual friends wedding. After a blissful year of dating, Peg and Bob were engaged on Valentine’s Day 1957, Peg’s 20th Birthday. Their marriage and amazing journey began on February 15, 1958, a day after Peg’s 21st Birthday, a beautiful wedding adorned with red velvet and roses. On their way to honeymoon in Washington, D.C., their trip was curtailed by a major snowstorm. They sought shelter in New York City at the Edison Hotel. It wasn’t until a “memory lane” conversation in December 2014 with her daughters that Peg revealed this part of their journey. By happenstance, the Coler girls had visited the Edison Hotel in NYC earlier that day, the day the hotel was closing permanently! Peg and Bob’s beautiful love story spanned decades, with their continued unity through life’s seasons and the blessing of five amazing children and five precious grandchildren. Sadly, Bob passed in April 1990. Peg continues to amaze all of us with her perseverance, grace and grit. She, with the spirit of Bob, embraces and models the importance of love and family everyday. Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Birthday Peg, and Happy 63rd Anniversary Peg and Bob!!!!! Love forever, The Coler Gang
"I met my forever love when I was not looking for it. I had had two failed marriages and thought it was not for me. I had my children, grandchildren, my friends, my church that would be enough.
But I guess God had other plans. Belonging to a group of singles who were trying to survive I was invited to a fun evening at a sauna and hot tub. My future partner was there and the way he tells it I was all he was looking for. He has written down all he was looking for and could not believe it when he met me.
Me on the other hand was unaware of his feelings. I saw him from time to time as the group met for socialization.
A friend in the group said she could get me two tickets to a musical and I should go with him. We started the date with Mass then a picnic lunch and finally the afternoon musical. It was fun but the moment he touched my hand at the musical there was so much electricity I told him I did not want to see him ever again.
This is a long story but after 6 weeks of not seeing him and a girlfriend encouraging me no nagging me to call him I did and told him I wanted to go dancing. We had a great connection on the dance floor. His side of the story it that he had finally realized that it was not meant to be and when I called he was just leaving to go to a singles dance because he wanted to be married again.
So here we are 34 years later with a love that grows stronger every day. We are very different, I have outgoing and always ready for whatever he is quiet and stable and solid. But we are perfectly matched he brings me down when i am over the top and he says I bring him up when he gets down.
We have an expression we are comfortable together like old shoes and you know you never get rid of old shoes.
We have grown old together he is 82 and I am 78 but the spark it still there and we still enjoy our lives together sometimes doing exciting things and sometimes just sitting side by side reading.
All our friends say we are a couple they look up to because we love each other so much we allow each other to be ourselves."
My Father and Mother in law have blessed our family for many years. He will be 94 and she 79 this year. He married her with 3 boys and they had one of their own. He raised them and taught them valuable life skills and she dedicated her life not only to God but to teaching them good morals. They have worked to share family experiences, good and gentle, even in the not so good times. Our conversations and time with them are so honest and exceptionally valued. They give our children and their daughter in laws their love too. No-one could ask for anything more out of such a dedicated father and mother; our life and dreams are better because of their love.
The last thing John and Carol thought they would find that quiet night in January 2020 was young love.
At 85 and 83 years old, both had been married and widowed; raised children; and were content spending time with friends and taking part in the lives of their combined 10 grandchildren.
“I thought the time for romance was over for me,” said Carol.
But thanks to the matchmaking efforts of a mutual friend and Carol’s daughter, they met at a dinner party and had their first official date about a month later — appropriately, right before Valentine’s Day.
Now, almost one year later, John and Carol meet every morning for coffee and every evening for dinner.
“Life would be awful without each other. It would really be no life at all,” said John.
John and Carol have become the only one the other sees in person, with the exception of an occasional bonfire with nearby family, and they credit their newfound young love as their key to surviving COVID-19. Fortunately, they are both healthy enough to spend their days going on hikes, snowshoeing, eagle watching, and dancing.
“He’s a really great dancer! If good music comes on, he’ll stop what he’s doing and ask me to dance,” said Carol. “It just worked well. He’s a great man and it’s fun to be with him.”
While the pandemic has taken so much from so many people, it actually brought John and Carol together and they feel it has even brought their families closer, as well.
“Our families haven’t met in person and while we miss seeing them, they know we are both happy and that means a lot,” said Carol. “We talk with them more frequently on the phone and we all just realize how precious our times together and our phone and Zoom calls are.”
Being quick with a smile or a laugh, and being willing to take on new outdoor adventures has been key to John and Carol’s blossoming love story. (And a love for growing perfect roses doesn’t hurt either.) Once COVID passes, they hope to take on some bigger adventures, but for now, they will focus on finding love, laughter, and spontaneity every day.
“The good lord was looking after me and brought along this angel,” said John. “I told all my friends and buddies, ‘Don’t line me up with some 80 year old. Find me an active 60 or 70 year old.’ And here I am with this energetic, beautiful 83 year old and I’ve got all I can handle.”
