My first love was him. I had a sincere passion for him. Jeanne describes the man she was forced to end her relationship with 43 years ago in this way. The good news is that this couple’s love was predestined, and years later, they were reunited and even married. This is the heartwarming tale of two people whose love overcame all social constraints.
Their union was in question.
Sadly, a woman marries the love of her life 43 years after her mother urges her to leave him.
When Jeanne, now 69, began her first year as a freshman and Stephen, then 73, was in his final year of college, they first met in 1971.
And even though they shared a strong link and Steve was Jeanne’s first genuine love, the two had to part ways because her mother disapproved of their relationship due to the contrast in their skin tones.
She didn’t want this relationship to happen at all, Jeanne recalled.
They made an effort to maintain their romance.
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
The young pair continued to see each other for seven years despite the mother’s opposition.
Jeanne struggled to see Stephen, who didn’t have a car after she finished her nursing degree and began a career that needed her to travel and work long hours.
She fessed out, “I was completely overwhelmed by everything.”
Sadly, a woman marries the love of her life 43 years after her mother urges her to leave him.
The family issue was always dragging on me because it permanently damaged the bond between my mother and I, Jeanne continued.
She added that even though her mother was the cause of their breakup, her love for her mother never diminished. However, she acknowledges that what occurred “affected our relationship for the rest of my life.”
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
Even the idea of marriage was brought up, but Jeanne was reluctant to commit. She said, “I would’ve lost my entire family.”
Jeanne recalled being at the nurse’s desk and calling Stephen with the sad news, having no choice except to end their relationship. He heard her say, “I love you, but I just can’t continue in this relationship.”
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
Stephen was devastated by the abrupt divorce, which rendered him speechless. Jeanne’s story also had a terrible ending, one that followed her for years. She freely acknowledges, “I regretted it then, I regretted the way I did it, but I did it.”
The couple continued to live separate lives and did not speak to one another for the following 40 years.
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
In 2021, after her mother had passed away and she had divorced herself, Jeanne became a retired widow and began looking for Stephen. However, despite her best attempts, she could not locate him on social media. There was essentially no sign of him, she said.
Fortunately, Jeanne located Stephen’s niece’s address in April 2021 and wrote to her. Stephen’s niece told her he was in a nursing home, which, as Jeanne acknowledged, “that’s something I had never in a million years imagined.”
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
Jeanne called the nursing home to find out more about Stephen. A staff worker advised her that residents of the home did not have access to phones at their bedsides.
After then, Jeanne sent Stephen a second letter, but he didn’t respond. When she called again, a nurse told her he could not speak on the phone.
Sadly, a woman marries the love of her life 43 years after her mother urges her to leave him.
Jeanne decided to go there herself at this point. I needed to know: Was he okay, she said. A married man? Will he pardon me?
Finally, Jeanne entered his room, and Stephen immediately recognized her, calling out her name while tears streamed down his face. She fessed out, “I knew he still loved me.”
Their happiness ever after was eventually realized.
A Woman Marries the Love of Her Life, which is heartbreaking. 43 years after her mother forced her to break away from him
She moved him into her home a few months later, and he said, “She is lovely. She is the reason I am alive. I want to stay with her forever.
A few months later, Stephen proposed to Jeanne, and the two later wed in front of roughly 65 friends and family members at their residence.
The delighted bride says, “We can spend the rest of our lives together making plans.” She also adopted Stephen’s last name, saying, “I’ve wanted it for a long time.”
This is yet another unique and amazing love tale that serves as a reminder that nothing—not even time—can separate two individuals who have a very strong bond.