A Couple in Their 90s Spent 73 Years Apart, Now They Are Engaged

“We actually met on the school bus,” Joanne Blakkan said in an interview with WOOD-TV8 last year. Today, Joanne is 93, and her fiance, Bill Hassinger, is 91. And the two just got engaged. Yes, you heard that right. The couple were high school sweethearts who spent 73 years apart and found each other once again.

They met in the 1940s in Muskegon, MI, and fell in love in high school. They went to senior prom together but eventually went their separate ways. Joanne graduated first and went off to Michigan State University. Bill was later drafted to serve in the Korean War.

In 2022, the Two Met Again After 73 Years Apart

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They got married and had children with other people, but then, in 2022, the two met again.

“(My daughter) Linda was helping me do some research on the computer looking for my former classmates that I’ve lost track of and I came across Bill’s name there and I researched a little bit further and saw that his wife had passed away the year before,” Joanne told WOOD-TV last year. “I dropped him a note and said it would be fun to reminisce."

Bill was surprised but called Joanne and told her he would be down for a get-together. So that is what they did. Bill drove 80 miles to see Joanne for a lunch date.

The Couple Started Spending Weekends Together

“Neither one of us look the same after several years. I wouldn’t have picked her out of a crowd … but once we got over that little bit of a shock, the personalities and the way we feel about each other just came right back,” Bill shared.

“We just really went back to where we were in high school as far as feelings go,” Joanne said. The couple started spending weekends together, which turned into rarely spending a day apart. The couple isn’t going to let age define their relationship either.

“We thank God every day that at our age, we’re still up and around and navigating and having a good time,” Joanne says.

The Two Have a Symbolic Commitment to One Another

The two have said they want a small, intimate wedding but might not get married anytime soon. The ring is a symbolic commitment to each other.

It can be easy to dwell on the lost years, but it is quite a sweet blessing that they met up during this later season of their lives. We wish them well and pray they have some fantastic years together.

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"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" - 1 Corinthians 13:13

WATCH: A Couple in Their 90s Spent 73 Years Apart, Now They Are Engaged

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h/t: PEOPLE

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WOOD TV8