US couple remarry 48 years after divorce

Bob Wenrich and Fay Gable were married under a tree in a relative’s backyard, a few weeks after Fay learned she was pregnant, in 1951. Photo / Instagram, Washington Post

Bob Wenrich and Fay Gable were married under a tree in a relative’s backyard, a few weeks after Fay learned she was pregnant, in 1951. She was 16 and Bob was 21, but they were in love and decided to make a go of it.

Their son was born, then they had three more children and settled into a busy life in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where Bob ran a house-painting business and Fay was a nurse. But 24 years later, in 1975, their marriage hit a rough patch and the couple divorced.

They both eventually remarried and remained friendly towards each other, attending holiday events with their four children and celebrating together at birthday parties for their grandchildren, said their youngest daughter, Carol Smith, 64.

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

After Bob and Fay’s second spouses passed away, Carol noticed they seemed lonely, so about a year ago, she began inviting her parents to play card games with her and her husband at their home in Reamstown, Pennsylvania.

Soon, there was a little electricity between the two. Then Carol noticed they were spending time together alone.

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

Fay, 89, said she told Bob, 94, she just wanted to remain good friends.

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

“He reached over and patted me on my knee and I told him I didn’t want any hanky-panky going on,” Fay said. “Bob said, ‘But you have such a nice knee’. And we just went on from there.”

On an excursion to the casino in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, Bob won a jackpot playing the penny slots. That’s when he said he knew. “Fay was my good luck charm,” he said.

‘Like two teenagers’

The pair began dating again, sneaking off more often to the casino to play the slots and share a few laughs over dinner.

“We reconnected like two teenagers,” Fay said. “We got to know each other all over again.”

“There was still a spark between them,” said Carol.

Carol said her mother called her at work on November 11 and mentioned she didn’t know whether she wanted to change her last name.

“I said, ‘Does that mean you’re getting married', and my mum said, ‘Yes, it does’,” she recalled. “I was delighted. As soon as I hung up the phone with her, I booked the venue and the pastor for them before I’d finished my lunch break.”

Their daughter said she quickly booked a popular wedding venue in Denver, Pennsylvania, for December 8 because most of the dates for 2025 were already taken.

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

Her three siblings were also elated, she said.

“We’d all seen how happy they were to be together again,” Carol said. “They’d both been feeling lonely and it was wonderful to see them find love again.”

On December 8, the couple said “I do” for a second time. More than seven decades had passed since they were last married, on November 10, 1951.

“Fay might be a little older now, but she’s as sweet as she was then,” said Bob. “At our age now, we’ll be lucky to have several years together, but I’m thankful for the chance.”

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

“It’s something we no longer discuss – we were just different people then,” Fay said. “We learned to forgive and forget, and we became comfortable being around each other at family gatherings.”

“We had our differences then, but now it’s all working out,” said Bob. “Everything sort of fell into place to bring us back together.”

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

“People from all over were calling to congratulate them,” she said. “They were even recognised when they went to the grocery store.”

Fay picked out a lacy, champagne-coloured ensemble and a wrist corsage for the big day, while Bob dressed in his best navy suit and tucked a white rose into his lapel.

About 80 friends and family members watched them exchange vows at a short and sweet ceremony, followed by a night of dancing to music from the 50s and 60s. The couple’s chocolate-and-vanilla wedding cake was decorated with playing cards and poker chips in a nod to how romance bloomed anew.

For their honeymoon, the couple took a 13-minute drive to their favourite casino in Morgantown to plug pennies in the slots.

“We drank coffee and had dinner at McDonald’s, like the ordinary people we are,” said Fay, who plans to officially change her last name back to Wenrich. “It’s nice to have someone to share my meals with again.”

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