They met when they were kids in the same small town. They dated in college and later married other people. The wonder of it all is that they found each other after 60 years! Read their love story here.
This song could easily have been written for the two lovebirds who met as kids long ago. Tom never forgot his high school sweetheart, Nancy.
“And now we’re standing face to faceIsn’t this world a crazy place?Just when I thought our chance had passedYou go and save the best for last.”
Sometimes, you meet the love of your life when you are 18.
Sometimes, you reunite with that person at 78.
That’s the beautiful love story of Tom and Nancy.
Nancy and Tom grew up in the tiny town of Quincy, California. Dating back to the exciting Gold Rush days of the 1850’s, Quincy is nestled in the rolling hills near the Feather River. You might need a magnifying glass to find Quincy because it’s never had more than 2,000 people in the past century.
If the town was small, the school was smaller still. In 1959, the senior class had 77 students. At the Junior-Senior High School, Tom McMeekin played football while Nancy Gambell cheered him on from the sidelines as a member of the cheerleading squad.
“We admired each other from a distance,” McMeekin says of their time apart. “I never thought I had a chance with her.”
After graduating high school, they went on dates even though they went to different colleges. Eventually, they married other people.
Fast forward to 2013 when Nancy and Tom met at their 50th. high school reunion. Since he was with his wife and Nancy was with her husband, nothing happened and there was no contact after that.
In early June 2023, Dr. McMeekin—now a dermatologist in Tampa, Florida–RSVP’d to his 60th. high school reunion. Nancy, who is on the reunion committee, responded that she was looking forward to seeing Tom again.
Tom, who never forgot his high school sweetheart, was elated! Each night, they talked on the phone for hours. On June 30, she flew to Tampa to reunite with Tom. He surprised her by proposing:
My dear Nancy, it’s been 60 years since we first met, 56 years since we first dated, 10 years since I last saw you, and 20 days since we began this. You have always been the one I’ve had a crush on, since your cheerleader days. ‘It brings a smile to my face, it makes my heart skip a beat [to see you]. For the last three weeks, I have thought of you every day, every hour and have talked to you every night for hours. I have longed to see you again, hold you in my arms, and tell you how much you mean to me. I will finally be able to fulfil those dreams and make them a reality. You are the most incredible person I have ever met. Your beauty, both inside and out, has always captivated me. Your kindness and compassion to those less fortunate [than you] has touched my heart and changed me in ways that are hard to describe. Your mind and sense of humor have me amazed and laughing non-stop. You are everything that I’ve ever wanted from a partner, lover, and friend. So Nancy, I come to you humbly today, June 30, with a proposal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and cherish every moment we will have together. We’ll make every day an exciting new adventure. I want to grow old with you, wake up in your arms every morning, share our dreams and aspirations, laugh and cry and support one another through thick and thin.
To see his proposal, click here: https://www.tiktok.com/@jobuns_/video/7250696590682328362
And she said, “Yes!”
The happy couple will marry in California.
Image courtesy of The Daily Mail.
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