Description

This story shows you it's never too late to find love. Learn from the inspiring life stories of these couple on what it takes to find love and keep a happy relationship.

Transcript

Millie Martini Bratten:At the heart of every marriage is the commitment to be with another person through thick and thin no matter what. It’s inspiring when two people find one another and commit for a lifetime. And sometimes, love comes when you least expect it. Alice Drucker We were at a party; I was with a friend of his when I first met Hall. Hall Drucker: First of all, she was beautiful and still is I might add. Alice Drucker: Thank you. Hall Drucker: And just her personality was bubbly and I immediately said, “I have to see this woman again.” Millie Martini Bratten:The year was 1957 when Hall Drucker first laid eyes on Alice Janklow. Hall Drucker: We were engaged within three weeks so we made a pretty accelerated courtship. The qualities I was looking for in a wife were basically I wanted a beautiful woman to be honest about it. Physically, that was very important. Then I wanted somebody with personality. And fortunately I liked that. That’s one of the reasons that I grab this also. Alice Drucker: He was very tall, very attractive. In those days, we didn’t go out with anybody that was shorter than we were or the same and he was very tall as was I and I could wear three inch heels. And that’s the first thing I did when I became engaged. I went to Sax and I bought six pairs of three inch heels. We got married on May 19th 1957. We’ll be 46 years next week. Hall Drucker: She was only 20 years old. Alice Drucker: And now looking back, we were very lucky and that we grew together because we knew each other only a month. When I had an argument with Hall, I didn’t want to get into bed with him. I wouldn’t sleep on my brand new couch so I got into the bathtub and he came in after I fell asleep and turn the shower on. Hall Drucker: Alice’s father may he rest in peace, said, “I don’t want to hear arguments in front of me.” Nor Alice’s mother who has a very good philosophy because, “You’ll forget it in an hour but we’ll never forget it.” Alice Drucker: I think you both have to work at it. You both have to go 75% of the way. And then you get used to somebody’s foibles and you just don’t let them bother you after a while because there’s enough good to counter after. Like when he screams at a jet game or a met game. I’ve been married for so long more than half my life. I can’t think of what would be, you know what’s hard to me it’s very easy, it’s just a matter of fact. I can hardly remember not being married. Hall Drucker: We are more than half of lives. I’ve been in this particular state. The best part about being married is having a great friend and a great companion. Alice Drucker: We share much joy and happiness in our children and their lives and in our grandchildren. So, it’s just a wonderful sharing experience. Millie Martini Bratten:A marriage that has stood the test of time is certainly something to be proud of but not all people find a soulmate at age 20. Millie Bobbie: I never was married before. I’ve dated quite a few times when I was younger up to the age of 40. But when 40 came and more days, I might as well concentrate on my career. Millie Martini Bratten:But more than 30 years later, things changed for Millie Bobbie when she met Hubert Sperr in a nursing home. She was 73 and he was 85. Hubert Sperr: She was here about three months and my wife had died about the same amount of time and we were so depressed. We’re doing everything to keep us occupied individually. So one day, we’re in the physical therapy and we’re side by side and we get to talk about the places we went, the shows we saw and we decided we like a lot of things in here and I asked her if she wanted to go. So, I pushed her around. We wouldn’t ask anybody to take us. I just took her. Millie Bobbie: I love this. It’s so pretty. Well, I didn’t think anything in the beginning. But then when he became very persistent in taking me here, talking me there, which was great. Hubert Sperr: We don’t go very fast or else the— Millie Bobbie: He always says, “It’s your eyes that got me.” And I never thought my eyes was that attractive but that’s what he loves. Hubert Sperr: That’s what I told her but actually, she’s a smart girl. God gave me somebody to spend the rest of my life with. She was being sent off to Seattle to be with her niece and her sister and I like the idea but she didn’t like the idea. So, I took her into the gift shop one day and she was looking this stuff. And I said—I said, “Let me have the best ring you got in the house.” So, I figured it’ll be $300.00 to $400.00, $18.00. And that’s it. Then I asked her to marry me. She said she would. Millie Bobbie: I told my sister. I said “I’m not really going to go to Seattle. I’ve met someone I want to be with.” And she said, “No way Jose.” But she and I talked it over and she relented. Since the physical therapy, they had us perfectly everyday practicing walking with the walker. So, that would be comfortable. Hubert Sperr: And we walked up the aisle with walkers. Millie Bobbie: My sister walked me down the aisle. Now, when it came to the flowers, one of the gentlemen here used to be a florist so it was his idea of putting the flowers on the walker and that is so beautiful, beautiful. I will tell you that getting married was a nerve wrecking for me because I never was married. But at the same time, it was also very calm, very calm. Female: And to you Millie, take Hubert to be your husband, to love, to honor, and to cherish? Millie Bobbie: I do. Being able to say “I do” to Hubert, it’s really wonderful. Hubert Sperr: I was just like, “She was beautiful.” Millie Bobbie: And he was so handsome in his outfit. I hadn’t realized how tall he was. He’s 5’11”. Female: Oh my god. Great! Take them a picture. Male: Thank you Hubert and Mildred for showing us what true love is really all about. True love never fails. Congratulations! Millie Bobbie: We watch TV together, we read the newspaper together. Hubert Sperr: If you are very intelligent at my age, I could tell you you’ve got to have somebody to talk to. And I have somebody. She is an expert on trivia. Millie Bobbie: Not all the time. I never expected to find love especially in this nursing home but God has ways. Hubert Sperr: They extended our lives. Neither one of us cared much about living on we missed, not at all. Right? Millie Bobbie: This is how I found the stand put. You sometimes don’t think that life can go on and then you have something that’s happened to you. And you just don’t realize how it was before you. Just completely forget about it. Everything becomes new and fresh.