Local Love Stories: A Love Tougher Than Sheet Metal

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked Patch readers to share their love stories.

Whether you’re a fan of Valentine’s Day or the thought of red and pink decorations makes you want to puke, we’ve got a hunch everyone could use some happy news this month. And what’s happier than a love story?

We asked Patch readers on Facebook to share their local love stories — how they met, where it all went down, and what’s kept them together. Here's the story of one Nashua local who met her husband 44 years ago as a teenager in a sheet metal factory. Still together and still in love, the couple has two adult children and four granddaughters.

My story begins in July, 1973. I was working part-time after school in the office of a local sheet metal business. I would sometimes have to go into the factory, and I always noticed this guy with long hair that on some days I thought was really cute. On other days he was full of sheet metal dust and was quite dirty. I was 16 and a half then, and he was 18. July 8, 1973 was our first date.

April 19, 1975 two young kids leave Nashua headed to Virginia Beach on their honeymoon. They are in a British Ford Cortina they bought for $1. This was way before GPS, cell phones, EZ pass, satellite radio (we listened to our collection of 6 eight tracks)- heck it was even before casinos arrived in Atlantic City (1978). Our first dinner as a married couple was at a Howard Johnson's. Our car broke down and we had to stay in Atlantic City for a temporary fix!

FAST FORWARD, and time did fly, to April 19, 2015: we left Gilford in our BMW, navigating with a GPS, listening to satellite radio, using EZ pass, staying at a resorts casino. We dine at a Bobby Flay restaurant.

We are older, wiser and have gone through many good times and bad, but through it all we gave done it together. Thank you, John Sweeney for being you! Times may have changed, but my love for you has not.
Happy 43rd Valentine's Day to my best friend, my better half, my soulmate.

Ironically, John started his own sheet metal business 30 years ago and for quite a few years we worked side by side everyday. We not only lived together, but worked together everyday. Everyone said it would never work, but we proved them wrong.

We have two children: Kimberly, almost 40, and Christopher, almost 38. We are blessed with four granddaughters: Haelie - 16, Abby 15, Julia 12 and Catherine almost 10. Life is good.

Have a local love story you want to share? Write to us at submissions@patch.com.

Photo and courtesy of Cheri S. of Nashua