Couple Divorced 50 Years Ago But The Spark Never Extinguished – Just Remarried

Bob Wenrich and Fay Gable were married in 1951 when Fay found out she was pregnant. Bob was then 21 and Fay just 16 years old. But both were terribly in love so they decided to dare. They had a son and then gave birth to three more children while living happily in Lancaster, Pa. Bob ran a painting business and Fay was a nurse. But 24 years later, in 1975, a crisis occurred in their marriage and they decided to divorce.

Both remarried but remained friends, spending the holidays with their four children and celebrating birthday parties together with their grandchildren, their youngest daughter, Carol Smith, 64, said, according to the Washington Post.

“A lot of times, divorce is bitter and painful and people never get over it,” she said. “But our parents did. They even sat together in the same pew in church.”

After Bob and Fay’s second husbands died, Carol noticed that they both seemed lonely. So about a year ago, she started inviting her parents over to play cards with her and her husband at their house. The chemistry between Bob and Fay soon resurfaced and the two began spending more and more time together.

“They started hanging out a lot together and it was obvious they really enjoyed each other’s company,” Carol said.

Fay, now 89, told 94-year-old Bob she just wanted them to remain good friends.

“I told her, ‘We’ll see,'” Bob recalled.

The two continued to spend time together. The couple began dating again, often going to the casino laughing and eating together.

“We reconnected like two teenagers,” Fay said. “We met all over again.”

“There was still a spark between them,” said Carol, who said her mother called her on Nov. 11 and told her she didn’t know if she wanted to change her last name.

“I said, ‘does that mean you’re getting married?’ and my mom said, “Yeah, yeah.” I was pleased. As soon as I hung up on her, I closed the place and the pastor before I finished my lunch break.”

Their daughter said she quickly booked a popular wedding venue in Denver, Pa., for Dec. 8 because most of next year’s dates were already taken.

“My parents divorced when I was 15,” Carol said. “I certainly never thought I’d be planning their wedding at 64.”

Her three brothers were also happy, she said.

“We had all seen how happy they were to be together again,” she said. “They were both lonely and it was great to see them find love again.”

On December 8, the couple married for the second time. It had been more than seven decades since they were last married on November 10, 1951.

Bob and Fay don’t want to talk about why they split after more than two decades of marriage.

“It’s something we don’t talk about anymore – we were just different people back then,” Fay said. “We learned to forgive and forget and were comfortable being around each other at family gatherings.”

“We had our differences then, but now it all works,” added Bob. “Everything fell into place to bring us back together.”

After a local jeweler posted a photo on Facebook of the couple choosing wedding rings, LNP Lancaster Online, a newspaper in Lancaster County, rushed to interview them, Carol said.

“People from all over called to congratulate them, he said. “They even recognized them when they went to the grocery store.”

About 80 friends and family members watched them exchange vows in a short and sweet ceremony, followed by a night of dancing to the music of the 50s and 60s. The couple’s chocolate and vanilla wedding cake was decorated with playing cards and poker chips as a small hint of how romance has blossomed again.

“He was my first love. We’re not going to waste any time now that we’re back together,” Bob said.