As 1 Corinthians states, “Love is patient, love is kind.” Love also is blind to age, because what the heart wants, it wants, which was the case for a surprising pair of lovebirds in Sylvania, Ohio.
When John Cook Sr. first laid eyes on the lovely lady named Phyllis who lived at the same assisted living facility as he did, he couldn’t stop staring. The two began chatting and found themselves surprisingly compatible.
Both have lost spouses and John still bears scars from serving in World War II. But they enjoy similar activities and spending hours together, just talking.
Suddenly, it dawned on the couple that they were falling in love.
Everyone at the Kingston Residence of Sylvania completely supported their courtship and, quite frankly, found it adorable. John is 100 and Phyllis is 103. After dating for a year, the couple decided it was time to get married, Phyllis told WNWO.
“To tell you the truth, we fell in love in love with each other. I know you think that may be a little bit far-fetched for somebody our age, but we fell in love with each other.”
They obtained their marriage license on June 26, which turned into a spur-of-the-moment wedding. Phyllis, a devout Christian, was quite keen on the idea of formalizing their love, John shared with WNWO.
“It wasn’t the plan, but we got there and they said, ‘Well, we could marry you here. I said ‘Good, let’s get it over with.'”
The staff at their residence home shared the couple’s story on Facebook and wished them a wonderful marriage.
“Congratulations to the newlyweds! John and Phyllis met while living at Kingston. At the young ages of 103 and 100 years old they decided to get married! It’s never too late to find love!!! Join us in congratulating the happy couple!!!”
The residence home’s Facebook followers found the couple’s story simply adorable. Stephen Alan Adams wished them well and said the happy couples “proves that love can blossom and grow at any age.” Debbie Roe couldn’t believe that had gotten married again.
“Congrats to the happy couple. It’s amazing to have found happiness for the 3rd time. I wish you health and happiness.”
Even though they love spending time together eating and socializing, they decided to keep their separate apartments at the senior living facility.
When asked what John loves to do the most with Phyllis, his response was eye-popping and adorable.
“Well, I probably shouldn’t talk about that.”
Even though John and Phyllis are centenarians, they aren’t the oldest seniors in the U.S. nor are they the oldest married couple in the world. Alelia Murphy of Harlem celebrated her 114th birthday July 6, becoming the oldest living person in the U.S. Sadly, Alelia was widowed in 1953 and raised her two children on her own, People reported. Her age has been verified by the Gerontology Research Group and ranks her as the second oldest person in the world behind Kane Tanaka from Japan.
The oldest living married couple hailed from Japan up until the husband, Masao Matsumoto, passed away at age 108 in May 2019. Masao and Miyako Sonoda had been married since October 1937, according to Guinness World Records. They first attained the record for the oldest living married couple in July 2018.
John and Phyllis plan to enjoy every day they are blessed to be married, zipping around the senior living facility on their scooters. Watch their beautiful late-in-life love story blossom in the video below.
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