With all the hate and the anger going on out there, we need a reminder of the loving moments.
We’ve collected two stories of love throughout the ages to share with you below. They’re sweet, romantic, and maybe even a little sad. But, they are entirely true.
Lewis And Billy
First, we have Lewis Duckett and Billy Jones. The two met 50 years ago. Their relationship then grew stronger in the ‘60s when Jones was sent to serve in the Vietnam War, according to Pink News. At the time, the two wrote coded letters to one another. After the war was over, the two reunited and eventually adopted a child. That then led to them having grandchildren.
Fast forward to 2016 and the couple decided to tie the knot. Duckett and Jones got married in October of that year at the Riverside Church in Harlem. As for why they waited until 2016, the couple said that the marriage was “an enhancement to the relationship [they] had.”
Vivian and Nonie
Second, we have Vivian Boyack and Alice “Nonie” Dubes. Back in 2014, then 91-year-old Boyack and 90-year-old Dubes got married in Iowa. According to Quad-City Times, the two met in their hometown of Yale, Iowa during their youth. They then moved to Davenport in 1947 for work. Throughout their 72 years together, the two stayed committed to their love and partnership.
But whey did they get married in 2014? After all, Iowa legalized gay marriage in 2009. Well, the two initially decided it wasn’t worth it. But, they later changed their minds. After holding a wedding in their 90s, the two shared the belief that it’s never too late for a new chapter in life.
“This is a celebration of something that should have happened a very long time ago,” the Rev Linda Hunsaker told a group of their friends and family during the event.
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there. According to Find a Grave, Vivian died two years later on July 24, 2016. She was 93.
“Vivian was a member of First Christian Church, Davenport for 68 years, singing in the chancel choir and as soloist for 56 of those years,” wrote her obituary. “She enjoyed music, reading, gardening, housekeeping, and letter writing to church member, birthdays and anniversaries of family and friends. She was a member of NEA, ISEA, Davenport Plus 60, AARP, and various other environmental organizations.”
It added: “Vivian especially enjoyed traveling with her spouse, Vernona (Nonie) Dubes. They traveled by car in the 48 contiguous states and visited Hawaii, the British Isles, and all the provinces of Canada.”
May she rest in peace.
Sources: Quad-City Times, The Guardian,