Posted on 02/15/2010 6:04:47 AM PST by JoeProBono
It started with a casual lunch.
Roger Briggs was in mourning, widowed after 63 years of marriage.
Helen Smith, who is legally blind, needed someone to help escort her from her home, a houseboat docked at the Beaufort Marina, to her favorite bar, Hemmingway's Bistro in downtown Beaufort.
Staff at the local hangout thought the two just might be a good fit, so they arranged for a lunch date. The rest just fell into place, said Smith, age 91.
Briggs, 90, popped the question last month and family and friends from the Bistro prepared for a Valentine's Day wedding.
"It turned out perfect," Smith said Sunday, beaming after the riverside ceremony. "I found a nice one."
Briggs, whose wife died about a year and a half ago, is a retired commercial salmon fisherman from Alaska who moved to Beaufort about 25 years ago. Smith was sailing through on her way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with her second husband when the couple's houseboat had engine troubles. Twenty-six years later, she's never left.
"She told me she had met a fella and then they just surprised me with the news," said Smith's son, Butch England, who traveled from Pennsylvania for the ceremony. "Her house stays docked. She knows the ins and outs and where everything is. That's where Roger comes in too -- he knows boats."
Briggs had been a regular at the Bistro for about 15 years, but after his wife died, he started coming around more, to fill the hours, said John Braton, Hemmingway's manager.
Smith started frequenting the bar with a friend from the marina, Braton said.
"They both really like the place," he said. "She likes to sit back in a quiet spot and listen to the conversations. She gets to tell him what's going on."
The two began spending lots of lunches together.
"They had a lot in common to talk about," Braton said. "At their age, they started acting like teenagers. Everyone just gave them their blessing and said go for it. I think they'll have many happy years together."
After the riverside nuptials, the reception moved indoors to Hemmingway's, where the couple, surrounded by family and friends, cut their pink and white strawberry wedding cake. The newlyweds are honeymooning tonight at the Beaufort Inn, compliments of the staff at the Bistro.
While the two said they haven't made any definite plans for the future, they're happy to spend it together.
Briggs said his dream is to sell his property near McDonough Creek, buy a schooner and sail up to the west coast to Alaska with his new bride.
"Her boat hasn't run for years," Briggs said, laughing.
"He's got his heart set on getting another boat, but we'll see," Smith said. "I'm a very fortunate girl either way."
“At their age, they started acting like teenagers”
I love it, may God bless them with a few more years to gether with young joyful hearts in love
Any lady who is 91 and has a “favorite bar” is all right by me.
Wife [0f 54 years 28 Jan] and I spent last evening at our local watering hole, affectionately known as the “Outhouse Cafe” sippin and remeniscin on our 56th Valentines day...
So there’s still hope for me!
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