Love at 90

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I had to post this amazing heartfelt story from The Oakland Press in honor of the lovey day...

Love at 90

Saturday, February 14, 2009

By CAROL HOPKINS

The Oakland Press

Robert “Bob” Porter was having his usual lunch at the Clarkston Senior Center seven years ago when he spotted a newcomer at one of the tables.

“I said to people there, ‘Who’s that cute gal?’ ” recalled Porter, who was then 83.

Porter — a widower — didn’t speak to Treva Chivers that first day.

“I was too bashful,” he said.

But the two senior citizens did begin dating and eventually married, proving this Valentine’s Day that you can fall hard for someone no matter what your age.

They now happily share an apartment at the Inn at Cass Lake in Waterford Township.

Treva Chivers was born in Illinois but when she was 14, her family moved to Texas.She married at 16 and she and her husband, Norman, had four children. She was a housewife and for a decade worked as a nurse’s aide. When one of her sons moved to Michigan in the 1950s, she and Norman followed. Later in life, the couple moved to Florida. When Norman became very ill, they returned to Michigan to be near their son, Stephen, and his family in Clarkston. Her husband died in 2001.

Robert Porter was born in Pontiac and worked for years as a die designer for Chrysler, making fenders and hoods.He and wife Edith had two children, Ken and Connie. The couple lived in Florida for 23 years. They moved back to Michigan to be near family. After Edith died in 2000, Robert had his own apartment in Clarkston.

Then came the fateful day at the senior center. Robert eventually asked Treva out for a date and they began courting. Treva lived in her son Stephen’s basement apartment in Clarkston.

One day when Robert took Treva home in his car, he turned to her and asked her for a kiss.“I told him I hadn’t kissed in so long,” Treva, now 96, said. Robert, now 90, remembered the day.“I told her, ‘Let’s practice!’” he said. While they were kissing, Robert’s foot slipped off the accelerator and the car rolled into the garage, damaging the door.“I jammed on the brake,” Robert said, a big smile spreading across his face.The kiss was worth it, he said.“Look what I got for it,” he said, glancing at his petite wife.

The two dated for a year and married in May 2003. Treva wore a long dress for the occasion.Treva’s daughter-in-law, Debbe Chivers, was one of the attendees.“It was wonderful,” she said of the wedding at Clarkston Community Church. “We had a small reception and all the church members attended.”

The couple moved to their Waterford complex in 2006. They are often seen holding hands and walking arm in arm.

“I love to kiss her,” Robert said.

Each day, they sit side by side and complete a crossword puzzle together.

“She is a little better than I am,” said Robert about their puzzle-solving skills.

Family keeps track of them. Robert has three grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Treva has five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Their advice to the lovelorn is simple.“Be honest and love each other,” Robert said.

Treva, a self-described optimist, admits she wasn’t even considering marriage when she met Robert.

She smiled. “But when you meet someone and fall in love and they tell you all these wonderful things, you change your mind.”