There’s something strange about lovers, to be honest. No matter what life throws at them, some manage to meet again and fulfill their dreams of a happily ever after. Don’t you agree? Meet Terry Farley and Steve Downey. In 1971, a 14-year-old Farley remembers sitting next to a 16-year-old Downey at a Catholic youth group event in Washington D.C. The moment Downey saw Farley his heart skipped a beat. According to him, Farley was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; her curly blonde hair mesmerized him as he unknowingly stared at her!
Farley remembers him as her first love, the first boy she held hands with and kissed. To Farley, he was hard to forget, but life had other plans. They talked for the first time at the Catholic youth group event, exchanged phone numbers and a couple of weeks later, Downey called to ask her out. Since Farley had never been on a date before, her father requested that Downey come home to meet him before taking his daughter out.
Downey, being the gentleman he is, did exactly what Farley’s father requested, and soon her entire family was in love with him. Through high school, the lovers dated and when Downey graduated and moved to college, they wrote letters to each other to stay in touch. It wasn’t long after then that Farley went to school and eventually lost touch with him. Life continued for these two lovers who thought of each other as nothing but good friends. Soon they fell in love with other people, got married, and had families of their own.
What happened in 1971 remained a mere memory for the two who were, in fact, head over heels in love with each other but married to different people. Fast forward to 2004, Downey’s wife, Cathy, was diagnosed with cancer and in 2009, a day before his birthday, she passed away. By that time Downey was nearly 55, and so when his friends encouraged him to date, he politely declined. He knew he’d be spending the rest of his life alone if he didn’t date, but he had accepted that as his fate and kept moving on. As he puts it, he was okay with being alone.
Meanwhile, Farley, who was going through a rough divorce, was learning to live alone as her marriage was falling apart. It wasn’t until 2012 when Farley came across Downey’s LinkedIn profile, but to respect his privacy, she stared at his photo and smiled but refrained from connecting with him. However, LinkedIn algorithms had other plans for them! Sitting 500-miles away Downey was notified of the people who saw his profile and the one name that caught his attention was “Teresa Farley”.
Downey immediately sent her a message asking her how she was but he didn’t receive a reply. A few weeks later when Farley responded with her life story, Downey realized that she was single. Months later the two were talking again and finally, she invited him to spend a weekend with her! When Farley opened the door, Downey’s heart skipped a beat… much like it did in 1971. When she saw him, she had butterflies in her stomach… much like she did when they first held hands.
On the 21st of March 2015, nearly 44 years after they first met, the couple got married and got a second chance to love and happiness!
How would you react if someone you loved connected with you after years? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
