Pennsylvania couple met online years ago. Still going strong
Nearly every Friday for 15 years, I’ve published and emailed a weekly newsletter called On Life and Love After 50. One of my long-time subscribers is Pat, who became a widow shortly after the newsletter started, and lived in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania.
In 2005, Pat, sent me an email saying she had met a wonderful man named Len on a website called BikerKiss.com. She wrote, “I had not heard of that website until a girlfriend, who had just bought a motorcycle, told me about it. I went on it as sort of a joke. Len is also from Pa., however, he lives 85 miles away. He is 61. I am 65.”
Pat stated that Len had not dated since his wife had died two years before and she had dated, but, “not very successfully,” in the three and a half years since she had lost her husband.
“Why was he on BikerKiss.com?” I asked.
She said, “Although he’s not a biker type, he has a Honda motorcycle. After a few dates, we knew there was no turning back. Love is wonderful the second-time around. We are like two kids--holding hands, laughing, motorcycling, and enjoying the simple things.”
In 2009, I included Pat and Len’s story in “How 50 Couples Found Love After 50,” a book I wrote that revealed how 50 couples had met later in life, and to give hope to singles that finding a mate is possible. Pat and Len’s story had two important lessons: long-distance relationships can work, and, when people venture out of their comfort zones, positive results can occur.
From time to time, I follow up with the couples featured in the book to see how they are doing, and to get an update on their lives. Last month, I checked in with Pat and Len.
She wrote, “Len and I are still together, into our 12th year now and still going strong. And we’re still riding. Since 2005, we’ve covered close to 175,000 miles across the USA and Canada. Len has the same model of bike, but there have been two bikes since the original.
“Our current bike is a very sweet ride with a custom-heated seat that makes long-distance riding comfortable, especially in those chilly temperatures that we hit in early spring and late fall in the higher elevations.
“Our life as a couple is one of great contentment; we spend a lot of time together but we also do things apart from each other. I’m busy with volunteering at our library. And, yoga takes up a few mornings each week. We both love music and go to many concerts; we have eclectic musical tastes so there is always something new and fun to listen to.”
Pat and Len live in Bethlehem Township in the Lehigh Valley, near Easton. Pat mentioned that Len surprised her this past Christmas with an Alaska cruise for June, 2016. They spent 10 days there in 2007 on the motorcycle. They are looking forward to seeing Alaska from a different perspective.
Pat said, “We are truly blessed. We found the right person at the right time and life is good. The most important thing to me as I have gotten older is having someone to laugh with and enjoy all of the crazy, silly things that life is made up of. Quirkiness is a good thing.”
Pat and Len found love where they least expected to find it, which often happens to older singles. They also met the challenges of a long-distance relationship.
And now, in their mid-70s, they are active, still on the bike and very much in love. And, BikerKiss.com is still operating.
If you see an older couple in the Lehigh Valley whiz by on a motorcycle, wave! It just might be Len and Pat, living the good life and happy they met nearly 13 years ago.
Note from Tom: To sign up for the complimentary On Life and Love After 50 e-newsletter, visit www.FindingLoveAfter60.com and click on join our newsletter.
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