FOF Elizabeth Larson and Steve Steele met in Minneapolis in their 20s and dated briefly. Although the two broke up and lived miles apart (Elizabeth moved to Denver and Steve stayed in Minneapolis), they remained best friends for almost 20 years. After losing touch for 13 years, they reunited in 2009 and married in 2010, both were age 52. Read their heart-warming love story, below:
(Waterproof mascara and tissues recommended!)
In 1986, 28-year-old Elizabeth Steele was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, a particularly aggressive form of cancer. She underwent rounds of unsuccessful treatment. Defeated, Elizabeth decided to leave her life in Denver and move home to be with her family in Wisconsin.
Her best friend Steve (living in Minneapolis), flew to Denver and drove a terrified Elizabeth home to Wisconsin. “Despite the gravity of the situation, we had a grand time,” says Elizabeth. A few months later, as a last resort, Elizabeth opted for a bone marrow transplant, a new and extremely risky procedure at the time. “The odds of survival weren’t in my favor,” says Elizabeth.” Again, Steve flew from Minneapolis to be by her side. He spent the weekend with Elizabeth, which she thought might be her last. “[It was] a last hurrah,” she says.
Elizabeth survived the treatment (“a miracle,” she says) and at that point she knew Steve was more than her best friend. He was her true love. Steve knew it also, and Elizabeth moved to Minneapolis, the two married and lived happily ever after…
Wait, not so fast. Life is more complicated that that… After Elizabeth’s treatment, she did move to Minneapolis to be with Steve. They tried to make it work but it was the wrong place and the wrong time. “The job market [in Minneapolis] was bleak, so I applied for and was offered a job back in Wisconsin. I accepted it and moved.”
More distance, another failed romance… but again, Elizabeth and Steve remained friends. Elizabeth became engaged to another man. Her fiancee, jealous of Elizabeth’s friendship with Steve, urged her to cut off communication with him. They lost touch for 13 years.
In 1996, Elizabeth terminated her engagement. “[It was] for many practical and serious reasons,” says Elizabeth. “But the greatest one was that he wasn’t Steve.” Still wondering about his whereabouts, Elizabeth searched for Steve to no avail.
Then in 2009, Elizabeth found a man’s profile on Facebook, she believed could be him. “It sounded like his humor, so I took a chance and asked him to be friends,” said Elizabeth. “Within minutes, he responded: ‘I had to hit the “accept” button because they did not have a “you bet your ass button!”‘” “I was certain he was married with kids,” she says.
He wasn’t. And after a few visits, getting to know one another again, Steve told Elizabeth that his past relationships had always been missing something. They didn’t measure up to his relationship with her. Elizabeth told Steve she felt the same way.
“I never believed in a million years that I would marry the man I loved and dreamed of for most of my life,” says Elizabeth. The two had a small wedding celebration in 2010. “I look at my wedding ring and still can’t believe it. Steve has commented on how well I sign my new name (Elizabeth Larson Steele). I tell him that I’ve been practicing it for decades!”
0 Responses to “{Dating} She married her best friend…30 years after they met!”
Georgia says:
It is wonderful to marry your best friend. I did and was honored to have the love of my life with me for 32 years… We met when I was 19 and he was 25 — and we were as different as night and day — but compatible and meant to be together. And we were — up until December 12, 2008, when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in my arms here at home one evening… at only 57 years old. He was an athlete and a vegetarian — so healthy that we knew of…
My Bob and my love had a heart of gold — and I shall love him for all of eternity — and miss him until we meet again…
Ellen Flynn says:
I have known Liz for what seems to be forever, we met a few hrs before her diagnosis. We kept in touch for a short time after her retun home to be with her family. We too lost touch for many years. I found her on Facebook and reunited our friendship just in time to hear her wonderful news of her pending marriage to Steve. If anyone deserves a happily ever after story it is Liz! I have always admired her strength and could not be happier for her.
Teresa says:
Dear Fairy Godmother, what a beautiful love story you and Steve have, and have shared with all of us. We are all incredibly happy for the two of you!! We Love you!
Lei says:
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Laura Chaney says:
I love this! What a wonderful story. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Marcie Scott says:
Your friend Marcie, could not get Steverino out of her head either. So glad you two finally got together forever. I never have to make a mistake again! Love you
chrissierusso says:
I, too, have reunited with a man from my past…we were in love over 40 years ago, but my parents didn’t like him and when he joined the Marines, they moved me 3000 miles away. Back in 1968 we didn’t have anything like the internet to locate people, and we lost each other—for 40 years. I joined a high school website in 2008 and on a whim, entered his name in the search window. There he was! Older, missing his hair, but the same beautiful eyes and smile. We had each married other people but were separated….me after a 26 yr. marriage, he after a 37 year marriage. Call it serendipity, but what were the chances we would find each other again and both be at the end of long marriages?? We have been together ever since. He is the love of my life and what we now have –me in my late 50’s and he in his early 60’s–was worth waiting a life time for.
If Liz and Steve have only half of what we have, they are a very lucky couple indeed!
Angela Mahler says:
No kidding about the “waterproof mascara and tissues” recommendation. Great story! I wish them both well!
Kate S says:
What a great story Liz! I hadn’t heard it before. You seem so happy and hopefully we can meet your husband at a family gathering soon!
Angela Manus says:
I still love a man I met after I divorced almost 18 years ago. (He was married then, and he’s still married…after 25 years. He says he’s unhappy and that he still loves me…18 years later. However, he still has 3 children to whom he is devoted…and says he wants to stay to see them grow.) This man and I have remained friends, though we haven’t seen each other in over 10 years. But, we both dream of being together ‘someday’.
This man is also my best friend. He knows me inside and out. He knows my dreams; my fears; my quirks; my fears; my shortcomings…and he loves me anyway. He knows my body is falling apart (at age 49) due to some serious health issues, and he wants to take care of me. He’s seen me at 200 pounds and at 135 pounds, yet he still wants/desires me. I’ve seen him at 300 pounds, and I’ve seen him when he’s weighed less…and I still think he’s the sexiest man alive. I know he’s lost hair, but I don’t care if he has hair transplants. (He wants them. I want him to do what makes him happy.) I think he’s smart, driven, caring, compassionate.
If I could marry him now and start my life with him, forever wouldn’t be long enough. I only hope to have a happy ‘ending’ like this one…’someday’.
Lisa says:
My now husband and I reunited after our first date in high school after 25 years. We had seen each other twice in those 25 years. There are statistics that show that these “reunited” marriages work.
We’ve been married nearly 12 years now and everyday is an adventure and a blessing!!!!!!!
Tanna (LoveHonorUpcycle) says:
Ahhh…love conquers all!
Julie says:
I have a beautifully similar story, we reconnected after several years but we still live in different states so your story is inspiring and gives me great hope! Thank-you!
Maria Mendoza Elhordoy says:
What a great story!!
Very similar than ours. We were born 29 hs apart in the same hospital. 3 and 4th of March 1967.
I used to runaway from the garage of my house and go to the corner of the block where the kindergarten of an American School was located in the little town of Mercedes, in Uruguay. Years later, we spent 4 years one seating next to the other in high school, because of alphabetical reasons, our last names are Mendoza and Matosas. He became my best friend, and we accasionally dated, without kissing though, we were very young! I got married at 18 and did not see him for almst 20 years! Only saw him once, just divorced, and told him that one day we would end up married….
After that 18 years passed and at a family party his sister-in-law gave me his email address, so i wrote to him. My email address did not have my name, i did not want to create one with my real name, so when he saw the email it said that it was from: “Cecilia Perez Lopez”. …and he opened it even though he did not know any Cecilias….I made him guessed who i was, and he was right! He told me that he recognized me in my “irreverency”! We saw each other again two months later, 20 years had passed, he was bold, I was older, but we felt the same chemistry we always had together. The night we reconnect we told each other what we did in that 20 years. The next day he asked me if I would live in another country (here, NY), if I would marry again, and if I would have more kids. I have two sons 25 and 24 years old, he did not have any…I replied yes to everything, and a month later I traveled to this country for the first time. We married two years later, and now we have been happily married for 5 years already!!
MaryLeeCorder says:
I found this story very heartwarming & positive.
Arlene says:
Grand story! Happy that true love prevailed for this nice lady!
Terry says:
Oh my gosh. What a beautiful love story. I believe there may be hope for my life. I have loved one man for the last 15 years and continue to be in love with him today and the sad part he has no idea. Thanks for the giving me hope. Best of wishes for Elizabeth and Steve
Debbie says:
Wow, this story should be a screen play or a novel. I love happy endings!
shellie says:
LOVE this story. So happy for this special couple!