Sometimes, when you're not looking for love, that's when it strikes you. And for this senior couple living in the same assisted facility, that's exactly what happened.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 5, 2019. It has since been updated.
Finding love has nothing to do with age. Not to mention, finding love multiple times is like hitting the jackpot. And this senior couple proved it, especially since they were lucky to have found it again. According to People, John and Phyllis Cook had been dating for a year after meeting for the first time in the same shared assisted living facility in Ohio.
Slowly and steadily their friendship turned into love. According to CNN Edition, the couple went to the courthouse to get their marriage license last week and found out they could get married on the spot.
So on Wednesday, the two sealed the deal with a kiss and a signed marriage license. Now, they would get a chance to live out their union as a married couple, reported NBC 24.
“It wasn’t the plan, but we got here, and they said we could marry you here,” said John, a 100-year-old World War II veteran, to the news station. “I said, ‘Good, let’s get it over with.'”
Having both lost their spouses twice, the couple stated that as their affection grew, and because the 102-year-old Phyllis is a devout Christian, marriage was the next step for their relationship, she said. Considering Phyllis' mother lived to be 106, it's not surprising that she's managed to hit more than a century.
As for finding love so late in life, “To tell you the truth, we fell in love with each other,” said Phyllis. “I know you think that may be a little bit far-fetched for somebody our age, but we fell in love with each other."
“Well, we were just compatible in a whole lot of ways, found ourselves enjoying each other’s company,” John added to NBC 24. Though the couple eats together and spends time sitting outside soaking up the sun, they decided to keep their own apartments. And this is one of the secrets to making their marriage work, especially at their advanced age.
“What we do, we keep both of our apartments,” Phyllis told NBC 24. “He’s upstairs and I’m down.”
When John was asked what his favorite thing to do with his sweetheart was, it was clear that together, the spark of passion was certainly burning bright. “Well,” John said, “I probably shouldn’t talk about that.”
Clearly, in the Cooks' case, third time was definitely the charm.
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/widows-over-age-100-marry-year-dating/
