SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Two high school sweethearts who hadn't gone on a date together since the 1950s decided to tie the knot.
Joyce Kevorkian and James Bowman graduated from an Illinois high school in 1953 and went off to different colleges. They both would eventually go on to get married, have children and live life.
"He had his life and I had my life," Kevorkian told BuzzFeed News. "He probably called me four times over the last 60 years."
They didn't keep in touch much other than high school reunions and a phone call once in a blue moon.
Both Kevorkian and Bowman were deeply in love before they were widowed, and were devastated when their spouses died. Neither of them thought they would ever get married again.
When Kevorkian received a letter from Bowman last fall, she responded and said the two should meet to catch up a bit. Bowman drove several hours from Springfield, Illinois to South Bend to see Kevorkian, and the two went on their first date in more than 60 years.
"It was just like being 17 again," Kevorkian told Buzzfeed. "We laughed at the same jokes.”
Kevorkian's granddaughter, Anna Harris, said Kevorkian was calling him nearly every night and was "all giggly about it."
Harris was there when Kevorkian got the big news.
“She hung up the phone and said, ‘Well that was a weird phone call. He asked me to marry him!'"
Harris said Kevorkian went shopping for a dress every day for a month before she found one she liked. The couple picked out their wedding rings together.
On Saturday, April 1, they held a small ceremony with family and friends and tied the knot just 64 years after their high school prom. Harris, her only granddaughter, was her maid of honor. Kevorkian has two daughters.
"It was very exciting!" said Harris. "It was a small ceremony- the room held maybe 20 people."
Kevorkian said the wedding made her feel revived and young again. The newlyweds are now living in South Bend.
Harris tweeted photos of the event and melted hearts all over social media. She says she's happy to see everyone reacting to the story and sharing the love.
