Love In A Small Town: 21 Real-Life Romances From Patch Readers

Confession: We've been looking forward to this Feb. 14 more than most. Blame it on the snowstorms or all the political drama, but lately we've felt a little desperate for some sunshine. And a day dedicated to love is about as sunny as it gets.

So this Valentine's Day, we say bring on the sappiness. We asked Patch readers in communities across the country to spill the stories behind their real-life romances so we could celebrate love. From star-crossed middle schoolers to fated friendships, these happily-ever-afters were just what we needed.

Whether you're a fan of the holiday or not, let these amazing small town love stories be a reminder that there's still a lot going right in the world. Happy Valentine's Day, Patchers!

Not Quite Love At First Sight

"I went to the same high school as my husband, and we shared many of the same friends. Those friends, however, never bothered to introduce us because they figured we wouldn't like each other. They were right! We were more or less formally introduced in our early 20s and I flat-out couldn't stand him. When he was invited by a mutual friend to my college graduation party, I was horrified. Little did I know about a year later, we'd meet again and fall in love. About a year (more or less) after that, we were married. Nineteen years, two daughters (and the loss of one son) later, and we've never looked back." — Sherri Lonon, Florida

Roping In A Cowboy

"It all started the end of the 2003 school year, I saw a cute cowboy and knew I want to get to know him better. At this time both of our best friends were dating so we saw each other through them. I was definitely not the normal looking girl (my punk days were occurring). I ended up dating his friends to try to make him jealous.. didn't work. Tried to talk his best friend into getting him to talk to me.. didn't work. Finally I just got in his truck one morning before school and we started talking; this became routine.

"For a year, we were just friends and I enjoyed the time with this boy more than anyone before. In March of 2004 we started dating but the biggest thing was when he asked me out he said, 'I'm not looking for a quick date, so if you say yes it's for a long one.' I said 'sure,' just thinking to myself, yeah, OK whatever, this isn't gonna last, but I finally got my cowboy. I would stick sticky notes on his car during class change just so he would get them when he went on work study. We went to prom and the summer came and went, yet he still stayed and we were together everywhere and anytime other than our jobs. 2005 came and we were having a blast; me and my girlfriend would drive after school (we had work study) to his and her boyfriend's job site and eat lunch. We started talking about marriage and the future. I graduated and started a big girl job, he was already in his school. September 2005 in the early morning during a hike at a waterfalls, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his forever.. I said yes." — Tiffanie, MD

Sixth Grade Soulmates

"My boyfriend and I met in the 6th grade (HDG middle) and became instant friends due to us both being 'the class clown.' He developed a crush on me and I unfortunately turned him down. We remained friends and in high school I decided I had a crush on him! So in 10th grade (in our biology class no less) we decided to try dating each other. It was a fail! Our senior year we began dating other people, and years down the road, those people who we were dating at the time would still meet. After finding this out we began talking again as friends. We decided to meet up again to commiserate and have been together ever since!

"Today, we have been together for over six years. Our family consists of three cats and four Holland lops (who we breed and show). We purchased a home in Aberdeen in October of 2016 and we are both finishing our education on top of working full-time jobs! My boyfriend is my best friend and always has been. He is my patience, strength, and calm in this storm we call life. He is a hard worker, a great dad to our fur babies and I couldn't imagine my life without him!" — Carrie Atwell, Aberdeen MD

A Simple Twist of Fate

"I met my husband when we both worked at a department store before we began our real careers. It started with a simple hello in the snack bar during a break. He greeted me by name but since he had no ID badge I asked him his name and we started to talk. He was a great listener and had a terrific sense of humor. We took our breaks together after that and became friends and started to date. He became serious way sooner than I did and I let him know it in true 'Moonstruck' fashion by telling him to snap out of it. He persisted. He always surprised me with flowers and would go out of his way to do nice things for me. He won me over with his sweet ways and truly knowing what I needed before I could even think it. I knew he was the one six months after I met him. As we sat by the Christmas tree in my parents' living room, I felt a complete contentment and just the sheer joy of being with him. I wanted to freeze that moment in time and I envisioned a future with him that night.

"Forty years later, I still love to look at tree lights with his arms wrapped around me. I still envision a future with him as the center of my world, surrounded by our children and their families. What began so simply so long ago became the greatest love of my life." — Evelyn Pivarnik, Baldwin-Whitehall, PA

Forever Friends

"We met at Brandon High School. We were both born and raised here in Brandon. We were best friends, but nothing else. After high school he moved away and I married someone else. Four years later I received a phone call and it was him. I was going through a divorce at the time. We talked for hours and went out on a date a couple of days later. We both confessed that we liked each other in high school, but because of our friendship, neither of us said how we felt. I was head over heels for him the very first time we met, but as the friendship grew I did not want to lose it. What makes my husband special to me is that he is my soulmate. He stepped in as a father figure for my 2-year-old son. We got married two years after his phone call and we had three more boys. Valentine's Day will be 15 years that we have been married. We have a tradition that we go to the fair every year, just us, for our anniversary." — Dena Deaton, Brandon, FL

Home Is Where the Heart Is

"I met my husband when I was 5 years old and he was 6. In 1978, both of our families bought new homes in Brick that were directly across the street from each other. It wasn't until 1988, our freshman year of high school, that we started dating. After a few bumps here and there we got married in July 1996. We have two children, ages 16 and 12. What makes it even crazier is seven years ago we moved back into the house I grew up in. We have definitely come full circle." — Melissa Pacella, Brick, NJ

Teen Sweethearts

"My husband and I met on the school bus in eighth grade at Lake Rivera Middle School at the age of 13. We lived eight houses away from each other. We started dating our freshman year on Feb. 22, 2002, at Brick Township High School. He is my best friend and soulmate. We have been happily married since April 30, 2010. We grew up together, the worst of the worst and the best of the best, we have been through it all. I feel lucky and blessed to have met my soulmate at such a young age. Fifteen years, and excited to spend many, many more together." —Brianne Warren, Brick, NJ

Hometown Love

"Well, I met my love of my life 17 years ago when I was 15. I was going running in my hometown, Stanton, Caliofornia, when I passed him, and I knew there was something about him. I had to meet him, so one of my cousins who knew him had him stop by my house. Ever since that day we have been together. We have two kids together, boys ages 13 and 10. We are still very much in love today and have been married since September of 2009. My husband Freddie Martinez is, and always will be, my sweetheart." — Sandra Martinez, Elsinore, CA

Small Town Love

"I was going to the local corner store every Sunday last summer to buy my father a paper. There was a worker there I would say 'hi' to and talk to him briefly. He was very sweet and I thought he had the nicest eyes. Each Sunday I would make sure my hair and makeup were done when I went to go get the paper. After about a month of Sundays, I decided to give him my phone number. I walked into the store and as usual he had my paper ready for me. I stood there a little nervous and he asked me if anything was wrong. I said no and dug into my pocket handing him the piece of paper with my phone number. He looked at it and said, 'What is this? You need the lottery numbers, honey?' I said, 'No that's my phone number.' He excitedly said, 'OK, I'll call you.' We have been together since Aug. 24, and he asked me to marry him on Oct. 11! A lot of people say love is where you find it, that is true, but sometimes it is only two blocks away." — Kimberly, Englishtown, NJ

Always Together

"My husband, Jon, and I have known each other since sixth grade. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Philadelphia and went to the same elementary school and high school. We played sports for the same playground. We started dating when we were both 15. During our senior year of high school, we were voted "Always Together." We have been together for 31 years and married for 25 of those years. I can honestly say that we are each other's best friend even after all these years." — Jennifer Syzc, Hatfield, PA

Love At First Cookie

"I have known my wife 10 years now, and I still love to hear her laugh. On our first date, we met at a Mexican restaurant in Brenham. She brought me homemade chocolate chip cookies, which no one had ever done. I was hooked after that. We were married eight months later on the banks of Salado Creek, just north of Austin, with all six of our daughters (we're a blended family, y'all). It's been an adventure and I wouldn't change a thing!" — Bryan Kirk, Houston, TX

A Lucky Blind Date

"I was a single kindergarten teacher, with some amazing students and parents. One amazing parent was a regular volunteer in my room, and she had a great idea at dinner one night. My student (her daughter) was entertaining the table with tales of her kindergarten days, and a family friend was laughing and really enjoying the stories. This parent suddenly thought that this family friend and I would make a good match, and told him what else she knew about me. He was interested, and she sent me a note in her child's folder, with the short version of this story, along with a request to meet him if I would like, and she offered to give him my number or to give me his. She also noted that if I was not interested, she'd never bring it up again.

"Well, I was inches from tossing it in the garbage, but something stopped me, and I thought, 'What's the worst that can happen?' So, even though I had never been on a blind date in my life, I decided to give this a chance. I am so glad I did! We knew from that first date that we could be something special, and almost exactly one year later, we were officially engaged. He says he 'knew' that first night that I was 'the one.' But, it took me a bit longer, though I knew pretty quickly just the same. He is the most amazing husband and father that I ever could have hoped for — he's one of a kind!" — Anne, Joliet, IL

Young Love Lasts Forever

"I met 'my friend John' (that's how I introduced him to everyone for nine months since we were 'just friends' first!) in our junior year (1993) at North Penn High School. We dated for three years, got married at 19 years old, and had our first child at age 20. We started our own landscaping business at age 22, bought a new house and had our second child at 23! Both of us graduated college and I graduated with my masters degree all while working and raising our family! Our daughter graduated from North Penn High School in 2014 and will be graduating from Gwynedd Mercy University next spring. Our son is a senior at North Penn High School and will graduate this June 2017. We just celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary last month and are more in love now than we have ever been!" — Kelly Rice, Lansdale, PA

Marrying Your Best Friend

"John and I met in 1972 at the Milford YMCA that used to be on High Street in Milford Center. We became friends before we started dating. We got married in 1979 and had three wonderful sons and one beautiful granddaughter. The best part of my marriage is I married my best friend and there isn't anyone else I'd rather spend my time with. The key is you have to be happy and when you're not, talk about it! Communication is key! When you have a problem, fix it, don't walk away! It's worth it." — Diane Smith, Milford, CT

Six Degrees of Separation

"It all began in high school, even though we never met or had contact. It turns out our whole lives we were six degrees of separation. I attended the same high school that her best friend attended. She would visit her friend after school all the time, and I lived only houses away at time, but our paths never crossed. Then years passed and we both graduated and moved onto our careers. At the time my now-fiancée was a health insurance representative and I owned my own contracting business. My office and her job's office were only a small distance apart, and we both frequented the same local delis and pizza spots for lunch, but still, our paths never crossed. Then finally the recession hit and kicked me and my business on its face, and I was forced to take a job as a maintenance technician at an apartment complex.

"Years had passed through all of these events, and it's now 2011. I'm now the manager of this apartment complex and it's my job to move in new residents and also give tours to perspective tenants. This was the first time our paths crossed despite being within inches of each other our whole lives. Her mother and her came to view an apartment as prospective tenants and I met them and gave the tour with my assistant at the time. It was love at first sight! There was something about this girl and I just couldn't put my finger on it. They ended up taking the apartment and it wasn't long before we were inseparable and eventually dating. After dating for a while and meeting each other's family and friends, we realized how insanely close to each other we were all our lives. We shared the same friends and acquaintances. It was fate that brought our love together. Since that moment, my heart knew it found its home. Fast forward five years and we just got engaged less than a month ago, at the end of January 2017. " — Cory Benson, Bohemia NY

Second Time's A Charm

"I was 17 when I met Steve, he was working at the local Valvoline. He was changing my mom's oil when I first met him, he made me laugh, and I knew right then in there I had to get to know him. There is a seven-year age difference between us and things just didn't work out at first. Six years later, we have found each other again, been together for a year, and I cannot picture my life with anyone else. He is my best friend and the love of my life." — Ashley Applegate, Naugatuck, CT

Summer Loving

"I met my now-wife Robin in Ocean City in 1977 when I was working at Gillian's Fun Deck. I was 16 years old, she was 14 years old. I was running the Tilt-A-Whirl and she came to my ride. She wanted to fix me up with her girlfriend, but I was interested in her. We dated through high school. She was from Northeast Philadelphia. I was from Ocean City. We got married in October 1980. Our summer childhood romance has lasted almost 37 years. We now live in Florida but still have sand in our toes for Ocean City." — Rick, Ocean City, NJ

Digital Dating Destiny

"Husband David and I met on an internet dating site when I was 52 and never married. On our first date, we discovered we had gone to high school together, one year apart. We never knew each other there. Now we are about to celebrate 11 years of our joy-filled marriage." — Doris Rosenberg, Reston, Virginia

A Night That Ended in Love

"One night about seven years ago, a friend of mine who I've never gone out with since, suggested we go to Tavern in the Square for a cocktail. I didn't really feel like going out so I threw on jeans and a T-shirt, which is something I rarely did, and went. While out, I started talking to a gentleman who told me he had four children and was going to be deploying to Afghanistan. My response? 'Lovely to have met you, bye bye.' He asked me for my number and I quickly jotted something down on a napkin thinking I had given him the wrong number. I guess it was a Freudian slip because about 20 minutes later he called me to make sure I made it home OK. Seven years later and a blended family of seven children, we've been happily married for five years." — Maria Tilkens, Tavern in the Square

A High School Love Story

"People call me and my husband a New Jersey success story! Twenty-one years ago while we were both juniors at BTHS we started dating and I got pregnant when we were both 16 years old. Teen pregnancy looked very different 20 years ago; there were no reality shows on MTV making that life choice look glamorous, and no social media support groups at our fingertips. Fast forward 21 years to today and we are still together, happily married living in Tom's River, and our son is now serving our country in The United States Coast Guard." — Colleen Schultz, Toms River, NJ

Ode to a Life-Long Love

"My grandmother, Betty, was born and raised just outside of London, England. One day when she was in her early twenties, a couple American GIs asked her and her sister for directions to Piccadilly Circus. They were already going in that direction anyway, so they offered to walk with them. One of those soldiers was named Phil, my grandfather. Betty was none too impressed by Phil, but he managed to weasel out of her sister where Betty worked, so he could see her again. Sure enough, as my grandmother left the light bulb factory at the end of the workday (in a sea of identically dressed English women), a lone American soldier sat coolly on a wall, inwardly panicking, as he couldn't pick out which young woman was Betty. Her friends made a big to-do about the soldier, and ultimately Phil figured out who Betty was.

A date or two later, Betty invited Phil for dinner over at her parents' house. They maybe saw each other a few more times, tops, before he had to return to the U.S. They communicated with letters for several months afterward, sometimes using a simple code (as the mail was being searched) to signal whether he would be able to make it back to England.

He never did. He begged her in letter after letter to move to America and to come marry him. She, not surprisingly, insisted that she could not, over and over. He didn't let up, though, and eventually she bought a ticket on the Queen Elizabeth II ship to the U.S. In the days leading up to the journey, however, her parents and sisters would cry every time they looked at her, knowing they may not see her for years, or ever again. Once again, she decided she couldn't go — until later when there was a sudden, last-minute, discounted ticket available. She took the plunge and left her home to marry a foreigner she had met less than a handful of times. Even at 94 years old, she never forgot the sight of her family crying and waving from the harbor.

After some hiccups, she met up with Phil in New York City and they made their way to Detroit, where they started their family of six children, including two sets of twins. Their loving marriage lasted 68 years, until Phil died a couple years ago. After she learned how to be strong, independent and happy on her own, she finally passed in her sleep 2016, after a fabulous day of getting her hair and makeup done, church with her girlfriends and winning bingo." — Kristin, Brooklyn, NY

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

Photo credit: Mayur Gala via Unsplash

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