These ‘How We Met’ Love Stories Are An Early Valentine’s Day Gift

Can a 15-year-old and a Marine who got hitched a week after they met make it work? What about a couple of college students who met as guinea pigs in a professor’s study on computer dating? Or a couple who met when she hitchhiked home from a basketball game?

These three couples with decades-long marriages are among the respondents to Patch’s informal survey asking the secret to long and healthy relationships.

Below, just in time for Valentine’s Day, are some of those stories.

‘Smother Love’: Don’t Do It

In 1969 when 15-year-old Scottie met and a month later married Dennis, a Marine stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina, few people thought they’d make it. They whispered that Scottie was pregnant and Dennis had only married her because, as a Marine, anything less would have lacked valor.

“Both were wrong,” Scottie said.

Dennis and Scottie, who live in the Middle River area of Baltimore County, Maryland, have been together for 56 years now. They never had children.

It is true the odds they would still be together almost six decades later were not in the couple’s favor. Scottie offers solid, sage advice on what it took to make their whirlwind romance last.

“Trust,” she said.

And this: “It’s a must to give each other space. You just can’t smother someone. Everyone needs time to themselves.”

And also this: “Money issues. We all have them. Don’t fight about it. Find a solution You don’t have to scream and yell to agree or disagree Show interest in each other’s days no lives.”

A Mainframe Got It Right

Decades before online dating sites became widespread, at a time when computer dating services ran on bulky IBM mainframes and their potential to connect strangers seemed far off and futuristic, John Robert and Nancy Pelletie were matched for life.

It was 1966, and they were students at what the time was known as Fullerton Junior College in Southern California.

They both had busy schedules — she was in the band and he was a cheerleader — they saw an easy extra credit when a professor put out a call for research subjects for his paper on computer dating. The 25 couples matched by the mainframe agreed to go on three dates and write a report on how the computer had determined their compatibility.

The correlations in their lives were surreal. They both came from families with seven kids. Both of their mothers were twins.

“We ended up dating for three years till I got drafted in the Army in 1968,” John said. “After I received my Green Beret and shipped to Germany, we decided to get married.”

The Pelleties now live in Mesa, Arizona, where both are retired.

“We have been married 56 years now. We still hold hands when we go out, and always say ‘I love you’ every day,” John said. “We have always lived in the moment, and having two kids and four grandkids keeps us young.”

True Love After Liver And Onions

Luckily, a Bayside, New York, woman joked with self-deprecating humor, “nobody broke a hip” when she and Stephen danced their chuppah as a newly married couple about four months ago.

They met about five years ago on Facebook, “one of the few things I know how to use on a computer,” Barbara said. Neither planned to marry again. She’s 66 and he’s 73.

“But I’m old school, so I didn’t want to live in sin,” said Barbara — or B2 as she’s sometimes called. Stephen’s first wife was named Barbara, too.

The coincidence is a “good thing because his memory’s as bad as mine,” B2 cracked. “If I make a mistake, his hearing isn’t that great, so he won’t know. Still, to be on the same side, I generally stick to ‘Sweetheart.’ ”

Barbara’s advice to others looking for second chances at love is spiced with verve and edge:

“Instead of looking for someone you can’t have and makes your heart pound — which may induce a heart attack — look for the one you trust, laugh with, count on, and who still looks at you, every single day, the way a child with a sweet tooth stares at a big bowl of Halloween treats he can only have after he finishes his dinner of liver and onions.”

Love, A Grand Gesture And Sleuthing

Erin and Gary Smith’s love story reads like a rom-com script with love at first sight, a sweeping romantic gesture and detective work to avoid a missed connection.

The Bradenton, Florida, couple met 24 years ago when Gary was in Jamaica for a destination wedding at the same time Erin was there on a business trip.

They only had two days together before Erin had to leave, but exchanged contact information. She lived in South Carolina at the time and he was from England.

“When I returned from my business trip, I had a postcard from him that he mailed from the resort the same day I left,” Erin said. “It was very sweet, so I dug out the piece of paper that he’d written his information on, only to find that it was just his address, no phone number.”

Erin wasn’t about to let that stop her, she said. It was an obstacle to overcome.

A friend of Erin’s also on the trip to Jamaica — and witness to the love blooming between the couple — offered her overseas connections and ease navigating international calling to track down Gary.

“It seemed like a long shot,” Erin said, “but about 15 minutes later, she called me back with his number.”

They’ve been together ever since.

“You have to pick and choose your battles and find a way to communicate,” Erin said. “Validate each other’s feelings. Continue to go on dates and always continue to laugh.”

Students Angle Date For Teachers

Bob and Alane Donahue of Norwalk, Connecticut, were team teachers for a geometry class at DeSales High School in Lockport, New York, in 1973.

“We were friends and we knew we enjoyed each other’s company, but we were careful not to cross the line into dating,” Alane said. “The kids used to say, ‘Why don’t you ask Miss Riester out?’ Bob would just mumble something.”

That didn’t satisfy the class. The kids put up a sign in the cafeteria that read: “Send Miss Riester and Mr. Donahue to the movies.”

Bob and Alane were married on the weekend of the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976.

“Have a sense of humor and always think of love. Be kind,” Alane said. “You will have highs and lows (everyone does) but you commit to work together. Also, I feel lucky to have found the love of my life.”

‘The Unhappiest I’d Ever Been’

Mary and Bob of Wakefield, Rhode Island, met 40 years ago at her brother’s wedding in the siblings’ hometown in Upstate New York. Bob was the best man.

Mary had planned to stay only a couple of weeks before driving back to her job in Colorado. She and Bob’s attraction to one another had been immediate and powerful. She arranged for a couple more weeks of leave.

“Driving back to Colorado was the unhappiest I’d ever been,” she said. “We wrote back and forth for a few months before we knew we had to be together. I packed all my belongings in a U-Haul truck, drove across country towing my car, and never looked back.”

They built a house together, raised a son, and recently built and moved into their dream home.

“Accept that it’s OK if you disagree,” Mary said. “If you need time to reflect on differences, it’s fine to take the time. Choose your words carefully. Hurtful words will erode a happy relationship over time.”

Love Over Banana Muffins

Fremont, California, couple Valerie and Jeff met at work. She made homemade banana muffins one day and was passing them out when Jeff, a complete strange, fired off the flirtatious opening salvo in their relationship:

“Will you marry me?”

She eventually said yes.

“Come into any relationship as an emotionally whole and healthy person,” she said. “Do not expect the other person to fill your holes or you to fill theirs — but be supportive in healing.”

Also, Valerie said, “Always listen. Always be genuine, honest and gracious. Know your boundaries and be true to them. This is the person you’ve chosen to partner with, treat them with love and true care.”

A Part For Life

Jim and Cindy Killavey of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, met on a theater stage in Newport in 1973.

She had traveled from New Britain, Connecticut, to perform in the musical “Mlle. Modiste.” He was an actor in the show, playing her husband, Hiram Bent.

“I fell for him and in April of 1974 gave him that part for life,” Cindy said. “We celebrated our 50th anniversary last year.”

Their secret to happiness?

“Do things together when you can. We continued to act together and separately,” Cindy said. “Raise each other up and don't stop communicating.”

Thumbing Down Love

Back in 1965 when the world was safe enough for women to thumb rides, Keith picked up Susan and a girlfriend who were hitchhiking home from a basketball game in Burlington, Vermont.

Keith and Susan, who now live in Bristol, Rhode Island, hit it off immediately when they stopped at a bar near their college.

Their love story started with trust. And that’s what has made it last, Keith said.

“Always show mutual respect and trust for one another,” he said.

The Hustle Brought Them Together

Angela and Doug, of Novi, Michigan, met at a dance for single professionals in nearby Farmington in 2002.

“I was having a real good time on the dance floor and noticed a handsome gentleman dancing right in front of me,” Angela said. “I only saw his backside, and then as the music ended, he turned around to ask me to continue to dance the nest tune. We danced the rest of the evening in each other’s arms. It was comparable to love at first sight.”

What she didn’t know is that Doug had spotted Angela dancing her heart out danced his way to her side.

“He said he didn’t want to let me get away until we connected,” Angela said.

Tickets To Love

Julie and Mitchell of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, met through a mutual friend 15 years ago because she needed Phillies tickets.

“Communication is the key” to a long and healthy relationship, she said, adding, “And pick your battles.”

Kathy and Jim of Lindenhurst, New York, met in 1987 while standing in line for a Ticketmaster kiosk at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, New York. The machine malfunctioned, which was normal at that time, leaving the two strangers together in line for quite a while.

It was out of character, but Kathy piped up and said she wanted to attend a concert a friend of Jim’s had mentioned when he stopped by to chat.

“I don’t know what made me open my mouth,” she said.

When the friend left, Kathy and Jim started talking and discovered they lived close to one another and other coincidences. Kathy had to leave before the machine came back online and Jim offered to buy her tickets and drop them off at her house.

They’re married now.

“Be open and honest,” Kathy said. “Trust one another and be each other’s best friend.”

‘We Had To Rely On Each Other’

Sue didn’t even know her good friend had an older brother for a couple of years because Frank was in college and spent summers away.

They met when he was home from the holidays and dated for a bit, but “really didn’t get along”, the Concord, New Hampshire, reader said.

They reconnected the following summer. Their differences melted away and they’ll celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in April.

“One of the best (and hardest) things that helped us was not living near any family or friends,’ Sue said. “ We had to rely on each other and learn to work things out.”

More Advice For Strong Marriages

Lauren and Will, who live in Philadelphia, have been together for 16 years.

“Respect each other’s opinions,” Lauren said. “If arguments get too heated, take a break even if it means going on a long solo walk. When you get back, do not resume the disagreement. Focus on something pleasant you both agree on.”

Frank, a firefighter, and Jeannine, a nurse, of Los Alamitos, California, have lasted 37 years as a couple because they’ve worked “really hard at it,” Frank said.

“Relationships and marriage take investment and nurture,” he said. “You have to understand that the butterfly feelings when you first meet change into a much deeper love, affection and trust for one another.

“Aside from our romantic relationship, we are friends,” he continued. “We also allow each other space. Space to be who we are as individuals, not just a couple. That is so important for longevity. Above all, God. We base our marriage on God and Biblical principles and what our roles are defined by that.”

Sarah and Rosalind, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, have been together for 23 years and married for 21.

“Compromise, conversation, doing things together, helping each other, being there for each other during the good and bad times” have made their marriage work, Sarah said.

Regina and Jim of Toms River, New Jersey, have been married since 1969.

“There are so many elements to a good marriage or relationship,” Regina said. “Love is the most important. If you love each other, you will always be looking out for your partner’s best interest. And you’re a working team! Throw in flexibility, kindness, and a good sense of humor and you have a recipe for a great relationship!”