We all love hearing about love stories. But not all love stories are so straightforward. This one from Ontario is a love story straight out of a movie, and it’s worth the news it’s making.
Frederick Paul and Florence Harvey’s story began in 1951.
A teenage Frederick would walk Florence home from school. This was how their love began to find its footing.
They lived in a small village, which meant they were never far away from each other.
Frederick recalls how he’d turn the porch light on to signal his love to Florence, and she’d do the same in response from her porch.
Oh, what it must have been like to be young and in love in the 50s!
But things don’t always play out the way you’d expect.
And this was no exception.
After 3 years together, Fred had responsibilities that whisked him away from the little village he and Florence lived in.
He wanted to come back, but financial problems put a big dent in that plan. So it seemed like that was it for the two.
Fred then ended up working in Toronto to make money for a return trip. But one thing led to another, and he simply started a new life there.
He ended up working for a school and marrying Helen in 1960.
As for Florence, this outcome obviously saddened her. I can imagine.
Florence also started a new life. She eventually became a teacher and married a welder in 1960.
They lost touch, and that old romance of theirs seemed fated to be just that. An old partner and nothing more.
But fast forward to 2020, and that’s where you’re wrong. The next 60 years were quite the ride for both of them.
Now in their 80s, they’d both lost their spouses but didn’t know the other had gone through the same thing.
A visit to her brother in a Newfoundland retirement home revealed some big news to Florence. For one, Frederick’s brother was staying at the same retirement home.
And through him, she learned that Frederick lost Helen.
She’d lost her husband too and wanted to extend her condolences to Fred after he lost Helen.
That meeting was the right call, it would seem. They caught up on those decades they’d been away from each other and grew closer.
Fred then told his brother to give Florence his number. That’s the move that really set things in motion.
“I said, ‘Oh, she’ll probably never call me, but sure’ … And that’s the way it started.” – said Frederick
But they did end up talking. A lot. They could hardly be kept from each other.
It was clear what was happening, but neither of them was expecting anything. They just kind of….let things happen.
They hadn’t been this close since their romance 66 years ago. Now that romance seemed to be finding its way to them again.
According to Florence, they had no intention of getting married at first.
But it seemed like neither was opposed to the idea should it present itself.
And that’s what ended up happening.
They talked about it shortly after and thought, “Why not?”.
Now with Florence at 81 and Fred at 84, they finally got married – closing a chapter of their love story 6 decades in the making.
The ceremony took place in front of their friends and family. Florence then made a big move from her hometown to live with Fred in Ontario.
“Florence has been like an angel from heaven. She’s so lovely and so understanding, and I love her so much. Every day, I wake up and say how blessed I am.” – said Fred
It’s an adorable and sweet ending, especially after losing their respective spouses.
“You try to make something of your life, but it’s not like sharing it with someone else. Loving one another is the most beautiful part of it all.” – Florence said
Sometimes, a romance just needs to wait.
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Frederick Paul and Florence Harvey were just teens when they first fell for each other in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until 2020, after a lifetime apart and amid a global pandemic, that the couple once again found each other
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— CBC Newfoundland and Labrador (@CBCNL) January 13, 2021
