True love is often represented by young couples in popular culture, but the real truth is that there’s nothing more romantic than seeing two people who’ve spent decades doting on each other.
Just ask the children and grandchildren of James and Lynn Gauthier. They’ve spent their lives watching the devoted pair grow more in love with each passing year. That’s why for the couple’s 50th anniversary, they were more than happy to help James plan a special surprise for his beloved wife.
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It was love at first sight for James when he met Lynn in 1968. They dated for nine months before exchanging vows in Buffalo, New York. During that time, James’s draft notice was issued and he became an Air Force reading teacher so he could stay close to Lynn and her family.
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As it turns out, the first time around, a bishop refused to marry the two because Lynn wasn’t Catholic. So the following year, the couple held a second ceremony at a military base in San Antonio, Texas.
They went on to have two daughters, Lauren and Michelle, and three grandsons, Christopher, Brett, and Cole – who secretly obtained online ministry qualifications so their grandpa could propose for the third time.
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James spent a month planning the surprise, which played out adorably as the family gathered to break bread and celebrate the 50-year marriage. James snuck off and donned his military uniform before coming back and presenting Lynn with a beautiful ring. Of course, she said, “yes.”
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 Afterwards, the couple fittingly danced to the Gibson Brothers’ song “Forever Never Ends.” Gauthier says he “was told there wasn’t a dry eye in the place” but he didn’t even notice “because I wasn’t looking at anyone else but Lynn throughout the whole dance.”
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You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of true love than what the Gauthiers share. Congratulations on your third marriage, James and Lynn. You clearly belong together.
Watch as James proposes again to the love of his life below, and don’t forget to share.
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