In Sickness and in Health

Al Able, of Breezy Point, took those words to heart when he married Adelaide.
    Al was a confirmed 45-year-old bachelor when he met Alelaide, then a 60-year-old widow, on a blind date that almost didn’t happen. She stood him up. He persisted, and they met, despite Alelaide’s insistence that she was too old for him. “Love doesn’t care about age,” Al told her, and they married a year later.
    Over 32 years in health and in sickness, their love grew. When Adelaide’s declining health sent her to Calvert Nursing Center, Al visited daily — sometimes two or three times — making the six-mile ride on his 1985 Yamaha motorcycle.
    The 76-year-old Korean War veteran and retired U.S. Postal Service machinist loved his 92-year-old bride so much that he wanted to take every step in his power to make sure they were together forever.
    One step was returning to his church after many years. A second was including his wife in his faith. The big one was asking his wife of 32 years to marry him again.
    She did, on June 13, in the nursing home chapel in the company of friends and neighbors. The bride wore a blue and teal flowered dress with a lacy overlay; white, lacy, open-toed flats; and a white hat with blue and teal ribbons woven through the band. Her bouquet of creamy colored roses with baby’s breath was made by friend and neighbor Carol Penfield of Richard’s Bayside Florist. Her eyes were blue and shining.
    The groom, wearing a dark suit and a blue satin tie, rode with his best friend on their motorcycles to his wedding. He had her bridal bouquet tucked safely away in his saddlebag. His eyes were also blue and shining.
    Father David Russell from Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church of North Beach followed the groom as he pushed his wheel-chaired bride to the little chapel. The room was thick with emotion as the guests watched this couple hold onto each other throughout the service.
    After Al said his vows, Adelaide replied, “I am happiness beyond …”
    The wheelchair and bridegroom wore Just Re-Married signs as he pushed his bride to the dining room for cake and ice cream.