102-Year-Old Woman & 100-Year-Old World War II Veteran Find Love In Senior Home, Get Married

Jan 14, 2022

Love can be found in every stage of your life — be it romantic love, platonic love, or familial, there are many people who are blessed enough o have all three. As we get older, there is the unfortunate inevitability of loss. The losses that hit us the hardest are usually our parents and spouses, as well as close friends and family members. 

When people who are widowed find love once again, it is a beautiful reason to celebrate. The loss of a beloved spouse is tragic, and can even lead to long periods of depression. Many people believe that their second love after losing their first is a welcome change, however, and sometimes, this second love can come later in life. 

Unfortunately, there is a belief that after a certain age, finding love is not only difficult but downright impossible. Senior citizens, for example, think their chance has passed. However, one story from 2019 definitively proves that there is no such thing as "too late."

John Cook, a 101-year-old World War II veteran in 2019, and Phyllis Cook, a native of West Virginia who turned 104 in August 2020, got married to each other in 2019 after a year of dating. John met Phyllis at an assisted living facility in Ohio in 2018 and their friendship quickly blossomed into something more.

Their living facility, Kingston Residence of Sylvania, shared the happy news of the couple's newfound love and wedding, and their post received hundreds of comments and shares. Read on to know more about this heartwarming love story. 

John and Phyllis Cook set an excellent example of finding love at any age. According to CNN, the two lovebirds live in a senior living facility called the Kingston Residence of Sylvania, which is located in Ohio. Like any other love story that starts with the meet-cute, Kingston Residence became the pivotal location for John and Phyllis to start a new chapter in their lives. 

Phyllis told WNWO according to CNN, "To tell you the truth, we fell in love with each other. I know you think that might be a little bit far-fetched for somebody our age, but we fell in love with each other."

"Well, we were just compatible in a whole lot of ways, found ourselves enjoying each other's company," John added.

John, who is a 101-year-old World War II veteran, and Phyllis, a native of West Virginia who turned 104 on August 8, 2020, had been dating for the past year before they decided to tie the knot. As a devout Christian, Phyllis believed marriage was the next best step in their relationship—so the couple went to the courthouse to get a marriage license.

John explained that they never planned on actually getting married that day; they were just there for the license, but at the courthouse, John and Phyllis were told they could go ahead and be married if they wanted.

"It wasn't the plan, but we got here and they said we could marry you here. I said 'good, let's get it over with," the veteran said according to Fox 5 NY. 

Fox 5 NY also reported that John and Phyllis were both widowed twice, and they know the truth about what makes a relationship last. They say it's all about respecting each other's space.

After their marriage, the couple continues to live separately in their own apartments; he stayed downstairs and she remained upstairs. However, the couple finds many ways to spend quality time together, such as enjoying meals together, enjoying the sunshine and adorably, they even love zipping down the halls of the Kingston Residence of Sylvania in their mobility scooters. 

Their story has been an inspiration to many, and when Kingston Residence uploaded a photo of the couple and their own congratulatory message, hundreds of people joined in with their own wishes. 

One user wrote, "This is what makes my heart melt. Congratulations and best wishes for a beautiful life together for many, many years to come," and another chimed in with, "God bless you both! Such a happy story in today's world. Congratulations! Best wishes to a happy and healthy marriage." 

Kingston Residence also wrote in their post that the couple was set to have a reception the day after their courthouse wedding, and as promised, they uploaded photos of the reception as well. 

While there have been no updates recently about how the couple is doing today, this love story will be one for the books! Phyllis and John have shown that finding love at any age can happen and that it can happen when you least expect it. We send our own best wishes to the couple on their wedding day and hope they are doing well! 

What do you think about this story? Do you believe that there's only one soulmate out there for each of us? Let us know below and be sure to spread the word about this adorable couple.