Vince and Barbara Schaeffer, who moved to Plymouth Meeting 17 years ago, have been sharing love and support for the last 55 years. Kellie Patrick Gates profiled the couple in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The pair were initially supposed to meet for a blind date during the 1964 holiday season. But Vincent contracted pneumonia and had to cancel.

Once he was feeling better, he asked for a second chance, and fortunately, Barbara gave him one.

At the time, Vince was a U.S. Army draftee, and once he returned to Fort Benning in Georgia, the couple began exchanging long letters. After he was honorably discharged in March 1965, Barbara came to the airport to pick him up.

They have been united ever since.

They married in 1968, in a traditional Catholic ceremony. They lived in Andorra in northwest Philadelphia, where they raised Vincent and Andrea, their two children.

Today, Vince is 79 and Barbara is 78. They both retired and are enjoying their free time together.

Vince’s 80th birthday is getting closer, and they hope to celebrate it surrounded by the kids, grandkids, and dogs.

“What would make him happy is something simple with everyone he cares about,” said Barbara.

Read more about the couple in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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At 4.14, comedian Ray Romano discusses the secrets of a long marriage.