While it can feel rare to read about an actually charming couple in the New York Times’ “Vows” column these days this week’s addition is a particularly sweet one. And I swear it won’t make you want to barf!
The couple, Gertrude Mokotoff and Alvin Mann, met at the gym where they work out twice a week and clicked instantly. Mokotoff, who is five years older than Mann, and teasingly called a “cougar,” was the one to propose. And at 98 and 94, they prove it’s really never too late to tie the knot (again).
“Age doesn’t mean a damn thing to me or to Gert,” Mann told the paper. “We don’t see it as a barrier. We still do what we want to do in life.” Both are widowed from previous marriages: Motokoff lost her husband of 61 years in 2002 and Mann lost his second wife of 45 years in 2007. Together they have a whopping 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Mann became the first female mayor of Middletown, N.Y. at the age of 71, and last year was the oldest person to graduate from Mount St. Mount Mary College. The two exchanged vows at Middletown City Hall in front of small group of family and friends before speeding off to the reception in Mann’s Toyota Corolla, dragging soda cans. At one point during the party Motokoff lifted her dress to reveal a garter and Mann, blushing, said “I must admit I like it.”
Congrats to Gertrude and Alvin! We’re rooting for you crazy kids!