Once More with Feeling

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Once More with Feeling

Rosalie & John Atkinson, Circa 1946

Married October 5, 1946
Renewed after 60 years
Millsboro, Delaware

"I was a World War II G.I. bride," says Rosalie, with a hint of her native Irish accent. "John was in the U.S. Navy, stationed near my home in Londonderry in 1946, right before the war ended."

They met at a dance in July at a club for British and American servicemen. The romance was, in Rosalie's words, "fast and furious." John agreed: "Everything just seemed to click."

They wed in October, right before John returned to the United States. She followed -- crossing the Atlantic on a passenger ship with other war brides -- after getting numerous permissions. She was soon busy raising two sons and one daughter, all now in their 50s. "We have grandchildren and great-grandchildren now," says Rosalie, 80. John, who will turn 80 in December, likes to say that he married an older woman. "And I'm sure glad I did," he adds.