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You're Never too old for love

By Jolene Farley
Harold and Grace Miller, Luverne, are a perfect example of the agelessness of love. Harold, 83, and Grace, 80, were married last summer in Forest City, Iowa.
It was HaroldÕs second marriage and GraceÕs third.

Harold and Grace were friends for many years before they began dating. Harold and his wife, Edna, and Grace and her first husband, Bern Severson, were neighbors near Inwood, Iowa.

Grace and Bern moved to a farm north of Beaver Creek in 1960, but the couples and their children remained friends.

After Bern passed away, Grace married Harold Sather and moved to a farm near Hills. They were together 18 years before Harold died in 1993.

Harold, a farmer, was married 60 years before Edna died in 1999. Grace's second husband, Harold Sather, had been deceased seven years by this time.

After Edna died, Harold moved in with his son, Jim, in Forest City, Iowa. Edna had been deceased for about a year when Harold invited Grace to lunch in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

As friends and family looked on, Grace received an engagement ring from Harold at her 80th birthday party at the Blue Mound Inn on Aug. 19. They had been dating about a month.

"I didn't expect this would happen a third time, but I'm glad it did," said Grace.

"We were married before we started," Harold joked. "She's a fast worker."

They hoped to marry on a Caribbean cruise but found they would have to go ashore for the wedding because captains no longer perform the ceremonies onboard their vessels.

They decided it wasn't "practical" for two people their age to leave the boat in their wedding finery. So they married before the justice of the peace in Forest City before they left on the cruise.

Their cruise included a special evening just for honeymooning couples. They were the oldest couple on the cruise, so they received a lot of attention, Grace said.
The two are very family-orientated. Both have four children from their previous marriages and proudly speak of their grandchildren. Harold has seven grandchildren, and Grace has 11.

Both say their children were a little hesitant about their marriage at first but have grown more comfortable with the idea.

When asked what is different from marriage the first time around the couple agreed, "We kind of know what to expect. We are more comfortable."

"We have more time to do things together and travel," said Harold. "It is nice to have the companionship."

The couple is anxiously waiting for spring "so they can get out and do things."

Even during the winter, they visit the Rock County Wellness Center four or five times a week. "We have never seen anyone else our age there."

Among other trips, they are planning a vacation to Alaska July 14 to attend a granddaughter's wedding.

When asked for advice on marriage, Grace said, "Be patient."

"The first thing is to love each other," said Harold. "If you love each other and are good to each other, you are good for each other. Grace and I are."

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