A recently engaged couple wants the world to know that you’re never too old to discover genuine love, according to them.
Two of HCA Healthcare’s volunteers who just got engaged were honored on Valentine’s Day at their Trident Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina. The red carpet (literally!) was put out for them. In the last several years, Ron Hill and Pat LoPresti have each lost their marriages.
They had no romantic plans or intentions when they chose to volunteer at the hospital, and neither Pat nor Ron had any romantic plans or ambitions. Ron was merely searching for a way to get out of the home once a week, and Pat wanted to be of service to others as much as possible. Both worked on separate days for months at a time, never coming into contact. On Wednesdays, Ron was there, and on Thursdays, Pat was there.
During the pandemic, volunteers were required to take time off, and when they returned in March 2021, Ron and Pat were both scheduled to come in on Mondays. They hit it off immediately away and soon after began sharing lunches with one another. The realization that something more than simply a relationship was developing between them didn’t take long to sink in!
Pat never imagined she’d be in love again at the age of 78. Similarly, Ron, a 73-year-old man, was prepared to be unmarried for the rest of his life. Fate, on the other hand, had other ideas!
As Pat noted, “dating was something we never considered.” It was a strange feeling to be alone for the rest of our life, as two widows who thought we’d be OK.” Our friends, family, and other volunteers were all there to support us. We were going to be OK, it seemed. Surprise! We ended up running into each other again!”
When Ron finally got up the guts to ask Pat for her phone number, he was overjoyed. It was their mutual desire to begin dating again, but they had been out of the dating world for so long that they weren’t even sure how to go about it! They went on their first date to a botanical garden, and they were so out of practice that they weren’t even sure what they were supposed to do at the conclusion of the trip.
“We were both so self-conscious that when it came time to say goodbye, what did we do? “We exchanged handshakes!” Pat shared his thoughts. “We were really self-conscious. We still have a good chuckle over it, and I told myself, “This dude is never going to contact me again.”
Ron, on the other hand, did call. In fact, the pair began dating on a regular basis, checking stuff off their bucket lists like as visits to the Grand Canyon and just enjoying the companionship of having a partner again. It has been about a year since they started and they are still continuing. The attraction was so intense that Ron decided to pop the question!
Pat and Ron are planning a wedding at the end of October. Meanwhile, the hospital was overjoyed that two of its volunteers had struck up such a close friendship with one another. They came to the conclusion that a special Valentine’s Day party would be held in their honor. It served as a lovely prelude to the wedding ceremony!
The hospital is credited with bringing the pair together in the first place. They, on the other hand, believe that they were put up by a higher authority.
I believe it was the guy in the sky who brought us all together for a cause, as Ron phrased it.
He and she can’t wait to go down the aisle and exchange their “I dos,” and they’ll make sure to maintain their sense of humour throughout the process.
In the event that [the minister] says, ‘You may now kiss your legally married wife,’ Pat quipped that “we’re going to shake hands first — and then you can kiss the bride.”
You never know when Cupid could be knocking on your door! Ron and Pat were given a second shot at love simply because they were willing to consider all of the alternatives.
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