Almeda Errell, a grieving retiree from Severville, Tennessee, never expected to run into her love as she went to say her final goodbyes to her son. She married Gary Hardwick, who was seventeen when they met and had previously dated a 77-year-old woman, after a whirlwind three-week courtship. The ceremony cost $200, and six days were spent in preparation.

With one of Almeda’s grandkids, who is 3 years older than her new spouse, the unique couple now resides in her home. The mother is now a lot happy than she was following the passing of her husband and her oldest son Robert, who passed away at age 45 from a heart attack. My coworkers at Walmart wondered what was wrong with me when I arrived at work in tears.

Unconsciously, I was looking for my soul match. The loss of the woman’s son Robert was another hardship. After the injury, when he was young, he experienced ongoing health issues. But it hit me hard when his wife Lisa contacted and announced his passing. I found it to be quite difficult, remembers Almeda. “Lisa responded that she liked me too and would introduce us more effectively when I informed her that I liked Almeda,” recounts Gary. Soon after, Lisa gave them a birthday dinner invitation for her daughter Evelyn, age nine, to a neighboring pizzeria.

As Gary and Almeda sat next to one another, their romantic spark once more ignited. “He was just like I remembered him. Lovely warm glance and that smile. He eventually fell off his chair since we were both too tense to eat, the woman recounts. Gary, who recently published a memoir titled “That’s Who I Am” about his life, recalls their lengthy conversation: “We spoke about everything for hours and realized that we have a lot in common, like passion for country music and Italian food.” Almeda was forced to pose one more query, though. I just responded, ‘Look, I’m 71 and you’re 17,” she remembers.

Is my age an issue for you? Age is just a number, he replied as he grinned and shook my hand. Gary presented Lisa with a bouquet of red roses and a birthday bracelet when they returned to her house later that evening. They then shared their first kiss while seated on a bench in the moonlight. Almeda beams, “I felt like a teenager again. Since then, they have been meeting daily and have gained the support of the majority of friends and family members, including Gary’s mother Tammy and his grandma Carolyn, who is Almeda’s age.

However, not everybody was to their taste. “Some family members claimed Gary was too young for me and that I had gone insane. I assured them that I was sane and that we cared for one another, says Almeda. The woman accepted Gary’s marriage proposal when he called two weeks after their first date and did not think twice about it.

Gary swiftly and affordably organized everything, and Almeda donned a wedding dress that she borrowed from her cousin. They were married just six days later.