9. True Love Across The Waters
David Hurd had moved from Jamaica to New York City in 1907 where he worked. Aqay from home, he used to feel lonely and started writing to an unknown woman in the Caribbean. His first letter reached Avril Cato in October 1913. They had not even seen a photograph of each other. Their romance grew with each letter, sent with dabs of perfume and loving words.
David sent a letter proposing marriage and luckily Avril’s family gave their blessing. The first time they met was in Jamaica when David arrived for their wedding date in August 1914. They settled into New York City and raised six children. Avril passed away in 1962. David would never marry again and loved Avril until the day he died in 1971.
10. Couple Married After 61 Years
Heartbreaking love stories like the one of John and Richard are rare. John Mace and Richard Dorr met in the 1950s as students at Julliard where their common love for music turned into love for each other. John had been married before, so Richard helped raise John’s son Paul. Later Paul died in 1983 in a car accident and they helped each other through the grieving.
They kept their affections hidden from the world for years and stayed together despite country-wide homophobia. In 2011, the couple celebrated when New York legalized gay marriage. Sixty-one years after their paths first crossed, John Mace, 84, and Richard Dorr, 91, wed in a quiet ceremony in June 2011.
