Lovers reunited after 72 years!

Lois Anderson has been living in University Place for 40 some years with her
husband and four children - before Byron Anderson's passing 11 years ago.

She grew up in Muscatine, IA, where she met Ralph McConnaha in 1936. He became her first boyfriend when they met at a skating rink after he asked her to skate; and they dated for about 2 years. He joined the navy and they both ended up marrying other people. They didn’t see each other for over 70 years.

After Ralph’s wife passed away in April of 2010; he thought about Lois several
months later and asked his daughter to try to find her on the computer. He knew
her husband's and children’s names through his mother, who kept in touch with
Lois from time to time. He managed after some time to get the number and called
Lois. She was surprised to hear from him and asked him why he was calling her as she heard he was married. He explained that his wife had passed on and he wanted to contact her.

They started out with a few calls a month, and it progressed into every night and they got very close in a long distance relationship, as he lives 3,000 miles away in Florida and she lives in UP, Tacoma. They have discussed getting together for months; but she is 88 with Dementia and he is 89 with heart problems. His daughter decided to take a trip out here and accompany him; and did so in June 2011. They spent a wonderful week, smooching and holding hands and listening to music from their time era; along with her grown children taking them on day excursions all around the Pacific Northwest. They got their first kiss at the airport; with each other after 70 years!

In October of 2011, Lois and her caregiver traveled to Florida to visit Ralph for a week as well and had a wonderful time. Which only proves that love can happen even when you are over 80 years old! What a love story!