“He was my first love. He was my true love.” This is how Jeanne describes the man whom she was pressured to break up with 43 years ago. But luckily, this couple’s love was written in the stars, and years later they were able to reunite and even get married. This is the inspiring story of two people whose love proved to be stronger than all social obstacles.
Their love was contested.
Jeanne, 69, and Stephen, 73, first met back in 1971, when she was starting her first year as a freshman, and he was in his final year at the university.
And even though the pair had a powerful bond and Steve was Jeanne’s first true love, they had to separate as her mom didn’t approve of their relationship because of the difference in their skin color.
Jeanne recalled, ’’She didn’t want this relationship to happen at all.’’
They tried to keep their relationship alive.
Despite the mother’s objection, the young couple continued to see each other for 7 years.
However, when Jeanne completed her nursing education and started a job that required her to travel long distances and work extended hours, she struggled to see Stephen who didn’t own a car.
She admitted, “I was completely overwhelmed by everything.”
Jeanne further explained, ’’The family issue was always weighing on me because it fractured the relationship between my mother and myself forever.’’
And despite her mom being the reason why she had to separate from her lover, she noted that her love for her mom didn’t fade away. However, she admits that what happened “affected our relationship for the rest of my life.”
The pair even discussed the possibility of getting married, but Jeanne was scared to make the commitment. She explained, “I would’ve lost my entire family.”
Having no other choice than to end their relationship, Jeanne recalls standing at the nurse’s station and delivering the difficult news to Stephen over the phone. She told him, “I love you, but I just can’t continue in this relationship.”
The sudden split was devastating for Stephen and left him stunned and speechless. It was also a harsh ending for Jeanne, and it haunted her for years. She admits, “I regretted it then, I regretted the way I did it, but I did it.”
And for the next 40 years, the lovers lived separate lives and had no interaction with one another.
Fast-forward to 2021, Jeanne, who was now a retired widow after her mother’s passing and her own divorce, started searching for Stephen. But despite her efforts, she was unable to find him through social media platforms. She shared, “There was virtually no trace of him.”
Luckily in April 2021, Jeanne came across an address for Stephen’s niece, and she sent her a letter. The niece informed her that Stephen was in a nursing home, which Jeanne admitted “that’s something I had never in a million years imagined.”
Jeanne made a phone call to the nursing home inquiring about Stephen. A staff member informed her that patients in the home did not have phone access at their bedsides.
Jeanne then wrote another letter to Stephen, but received no reply. When she made another call, a nurse informed her that he was unable to communicate over the phone.
This is when Jeanne decided to travel there herself. She noted, “I needed to know: Was he okay? Was he married? Would he forgive me?”
And when Jeanne finally entered his room, Stephen immediately recognized her and spoke her name, tears streaming down his face. She admitted, “I knew he still loved me.”
They finally had their happily ever after.
A couple of months later, she moved him to her house, and he noted, “She is wonderful. She is my heart and soul. I want to live with her always.”
And a few months later, Stephen proposed to Jeanne and the lovebirds tied the knot at their home in front of about 65 friends and family members.
The happy bride confirms, “We can spend the rest of our lives together making plans.” She also took Stephen’s last name which she admitted, “I’ve wanted it for a long time.”
This is another inspiring love story like no other, that reminds us that if two people share a particularly special bond, nothing can stop their love, not even time.
Bright Side/Relationships/Heartbreaking: A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life 43 Years After Her Mom Pressured Her to Leave Him
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