Nancy and Larry Miller, and Dub and Betty Miller, all residents of Presbyterian Village North, are proof you can find love at any age. While they have the same last name and the same wedding anniversary, they are not related and they have vastly different love stories. Nancy and Larry met on an Alaskan cruise ship in 2002 and were married on Valentine’s Day 13 years ago. Dub and Betty met during their church’s Christmas play, eloped three years later when they were still teenagers and recently celebrated 75 years of marriage on their anniversary.

Larry was living on a golf course in Florida and Nancy was living in a cute home in Fredericksburg when they started their long distance relationship. The two met on an Alaskan cruise, both ready to travel someplace new, fate bringing them there for different reasons. After meeting up a few times during their vacation and running into each other a few other times, it was obvious they shared a compatible chemistry. At the end of the trip they exchanged contact information, and Nancy told Larry that if he wished to stay in contact it would be up to him. He gladly reached out and the two began a two year long-distance relationship.

“One of our first dates was at Disney World in Orlando, I’m a huge fan,” said Larry. “It was after this date that I tried to kiss Nancy for the first time. I walked her to her hotel room, then tripped in an attempt to kiss her and almost hit the floor. We were both widowed and it had been several years since we had shared a first kiss with someone new. After several more visits and dates over the course of two years, I decided it was time to move to Texas. We didn’t discuss it, I just told her I was willing to move there so she could stay with her group of friends and family which she was deeply connected to. So I traveled there the day before the wedding and moved into Nancy’s on Valentine’s Day. This is the wisest decision I ever made. Naturally, we had Mickey and Minnie mouse cake toppers for our wedding cake.”

“Larry and I are both avid football fans, and are in agreement that if the other was not, it probably would have been a deal-breaker,” said Nancy. “Seeing as we were both married previously, we didn’t think we would find love again or be open to marrying someone else. However, we found that this love and our marriage is strong due to good communication, shared interests, maturity and compatibility. Over the last 13 years, we have developed cute traditions that are uniquely us, like eating pizza and ice cream and watching a movie at home on Friday nights. We believe that the secret to love is greeting each other with a hug and kiss daily and nightly, learning to compromise and truly enjoying the rest of the life you have to spend with your special someone.”

Dub and Betty Miller met in church during the annual Christmas Play in the late 1930s. She was an angel and he played a Wise Man. She looked down from the choir loft and saw he was digging through her purse. He claims he was trying to see if he had any competition, and was searching for a photo or sentiment from another boy. They dated for three years after this incident, then eloped to Durant, Okla., to be married on Valentine’s Day in 1942 by the Justice of Peace.

“Durant was the only city that helped young kids elope at the time,” said Dub. “After we exchanged our vows, we went back to Texas where we continued to live with our parents. Eventually we got our own place and Betty had her first child at 17, the first of three children. Even though we were so young, we feel wholeheartedly that we were the right people for each other. Our advice to young couples is to make sure that their significant other is truly the one, because we’ve noticed a lot of people settle these days and are not truly committed.”

“We met in church and we have spent many years of our life in church since then,” said Betty. “It is still an integral part of our lives. In a relationship this long you have to learn to be patient. It’s important that couples should learn how to overcome their differences without arguing and just stick to it. Love and marriage is about letting go of stubbornness and being committed to one another. After all this time, we are still a part of each other and not complete without the other. Our shared interests are a huge part of our happy relationship, having traveled the world to visit all 50 states and 50 countries, hunted in various parts together and maintained a spiritual life together. He has been the greatest blessing to me!”

“Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love for significant others, friends and family,” said Ron Kelly, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “We were delighted to host a Valentine’s Day party for everyone during which we celebrate all these relationships, old and new. Both of their love stories are inspiring to us because they demonstrate a few things: that you can find love at any age and that marriage is a commitment that takes a lot of work – but is extremely rewarding.”