A good love story is rare. A love story that spans 76 years is even rarer. Carl Warner wanted to ask Abby Deutsch out while they were in high school. But right when he was going to, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and America entered World War II. And he enlisted in the Marines, leaving Miami Beach for war.
After being separated for 76 years, the two reunited this past August–and well, let’s just say that there was a passionate kiss. Warner is now 92, while Deutsch is 91. Deutsch gave People the juicy deets about what happened: “There was a fabulous, fabulous kiss. If this is the way you kissed somebody after 76 years, then I’m going away and coming back in another 76!”
Technically, the two reunited over telephone about 10 years ago, but their recent meeting in Sherman Oaks, California, where Warner lives today, was the first time they had seen each other in 76 years. They met thanks to a program that Wish of a Lifetime has, which is a foundation that helps seniors fulfill their goals.
Warner added that they talked for hours, saying, “We hugged and we kissed, as I knew we would. We renewed our friendship and talked to each other about what our life was like during those many years when we were apart.”
So what did the two do before their reunion? Deutsch worked at the University of Miami and raised children with her husband of 60 years before he passed away in 2012. Meanwhile, Warner worked as a foreign correspondent for UPI after his days in the military, and has been widowed twice—his second wife (of 22 years) died in 2015. Warner, however, has kept a positive attitude, saying how lucky he has been, despite the painful times:
I’ve had a wonderful life, and whatever happens from now on, it’s okay, though I’m struggling. But meeting Abby again was a delightful, wonderful and terrific interlude.
If this story doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will.
