High school sweethearts rekindle romance 65 years later

HOUSTON, Texas — Jerry Hill and Mary Nelson are proving you can find love later in life. After separating in 1955, the pair is back together and devoted to each other.

“He’s just like he was that many years ago. He’s romantic and he’s kind and I love him. Its easy to be with Jerry,” Nelson said.

Hill and Nelson grew up in Muncie, Indiana. They were high school sweethearts and went to prom together, but after graduating in 1955 they went their separate ways.

“He wanted a career and I wanted to get married and have a family, so we just drifted apart,” Nelson said.

Nelson stayed in Indiana, got married and had three children. Hill worked at Johnson Space Center in Houston and also went on to marry and have two children.

Six decades later, in 2020, the two reconnected through their alumni group on Facebook. Both were widowed.

“That’s about the time the pandemic came along,” Hill said “We spent 15 months on FaceTime,”

The two were back in love and Hill asked Nelson to move to Houston and live with him at his home in the Buckingham senior living community.

“He said he wanted me to be the person to grow old together and were doing that at 86-years-old” Nelson said.