Couple marries after nearly 30 years of dating

Here is a long-ish but cute article about old people in love.

For Forrest Lunsway, reaching a century of life was only the half of it. On his 100th birthday Saturday, Lunsway married his 93-year-old girlfriend, Rose Pollard.

She's 93? She looks amazing, and so modern and - dare I say it - fresh in stripes.

The wedding – a surprise for most in attendance – was a long time coming. Lunsway and Pollard met almost three decades ago. They were both looking for dance partners after their significant others passed away, and mutual friends set them up on a blind date Dec. 18, 1983. It was a Christmas party at the Long Beach Senior Center and the two danced the night away.

Lunsway asked Pollard out on a date, but he lived in Cypress and she lived in Capistrano Beach. "He lived 40 miles away. It was what you call geographically undesirable. I didn't think it would last," Pollard said. But the two would meet halfway and go on dates. Sometimes, Lunsway would drive to pick up Pollard for a night out and then drive home. "If someone will do that, you know that's something," Pollard said.

D'awwwww.

About 20 years later, Lunsway sold his house in Cypress and moved to Capistrano Beach to live with Pollard. Then he asked her to marry him. "I told him I would marry him on his 100th birthday," Pollard said, laughing. "I had never intended for him to remember."

But he did, and Vanna Murphy, who runs senior activities at the Dana Point Community Center, got wind of the promise. So she started planning a wedding. The trick was it had to be a surprise – neither Lunsway nor Pollard wanted family issues getting in the way.

The red and white roses play nicely off the black and white theme

On Saturday, about 90 people who gathered to celebrate Lunsway's 100th birthday found two cakes at the Community Center – one for a wedding and one for a birthday. Twinkling lights were strung and the room was decorated in black, white and silver. Bottles of sparkling cider were poured, and guests munched on chocolate-covered strawberries.

"It was just oh so beautiful," said Pollard, who wore a black and white striped dress. Her new husband wore a tuxedo and a rose pinned to his lapel. "Many people were completely flabbergasted, and others at least had a suspicion," she said. "Maybe I should call up Guinness World Records," Murphy said. "Someone getting married on their 100th birthday – I wonder if that's been done before."

These two are in amazing shape. He's ONE HUNDRED.

The Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa in Dana Point donated a free night for their honeymoon. They had a room with a view of the ocean and were served champagne and strawberries upon arrival. The couple received congratulatory cards from President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Gov. Jerry Brown. Lunsway got cards from the president for his birthday and for the wedding.
Lunsway had been married twice before and outlived both his former wives. Both he and Pollard have children from other marriages.

Lunsway attributes his longevity to keeping active. "Use it or lose it," he likes to say.