True Love Through the Halls of Berks Encore

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, how cute would it be to share in the reminiscence of old love stories brought to you by the participants of Berks Encore?  We hope they warm your hearts as much as they do ours!  If you have a love story you would like to share with us, please email mkeller@berksencore.org or mail a letter to Berks Encore, 40 N. 9th Street, Reading, PA 19601.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Of Prom, Matrimony and… Pregnancy?
Carol and Elwood Klinger – April 10, 1965

Elwood & Carol Klinger

Elwood was a high school graduate working in a Wernersville drugstore when he met Carol.  She and her closest girlfriend knew he worked Sunday nights and would use this as a chance to make prank phone calls to him.  Eventually, Carol visited him at the store, but she was never able to accept his offers for a date due to strict parenting.  Senior prom was fast approaching, so Carol used this as an opportunity to take Elwood as her date.  Her mother conceded, and they fell quickly in love.

Carol and Elwood were engaged that Christmas and planned to marry in June of 1965.  However, during the engagement, the two surprised everyone by moving the wedding date up by two months.  The entire family thought for sure Carol was pregnant, going as far as inspecting her belly to see if she was “showing.”  There was no baby.  As it turned out, Elwood received a draft notice for the Navy the day of his brother’s wedding.  After they married, Elwood enlisted in the Navy for four years with Carol at his side.

A Second Chance for Love
Adele Becker and Richard Hoffman – May 2013

Richard Hoffman & Adele Becker

They seemed an unlikely pair at first:  Adele was a 7^th grader when she came to know Lenard, a working high school grad.  She had been in a car accident earlier that week and was having a difficult time moving around on crutches.  Adele says, “He asked me if I wanted a break and to sit on his knee.”  She blushed but agreed to his offer.  It wasn’t until her junior year that Lenard asked her out.  They had 40 years of marriage together with her teaching beauty school and him working at the Parish.  Lenard passed away in January 2002 from pancreatic cancer.

Adele felt a hole inside her heart.  Since her husband’s death, she dated five men and eventually went back to work styling hair for Phoebe Berks.  Still, she felt the need to help others and fill the lonely hours – that’s when she decided to volunteer at Berks Encore-Wernersville. 

Last June, she saw a man carrying bags into the center and asked if he needed help.  The gentleman – Richard Hoffman – said no and went home only to call Rachel, the center manager, later that day to inquire about “the blonde.”  Rachel asked Adele if she could give him her phone number, and she acquiesced.  It wasn’t until a week later that Richard worked up the nerve to ask her out.  They’ve been together for seven months now and find love and comfort in each other’s company.

Skating into Each Other’s Hearts
Eleanor and Norman Rubright – November 12, 1943

Norman and Eleanor met at a roller rink at age 19 and knew right away that they were meant for each other.  They soon married, had three children and have had a good life together in the Hamburg area.  Norman had his own painting and paper-hanging business.   Eleanor says, “We had some problems like everyone else, but we worked them out.”

After their children were grown they did a lot of traveling, including several cruises.  They also went dancing almost every weekend, something they enjoyed until Eleanor suffered a serious accident six years ago.  While she is able to get around much better now, she says she would not be able to live at home without all the help and support Norman gives.  For his part, Norman says, “I couldn’t have found a better woman.”  They celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary last fall!

A Hamburg Affection
Marilyn Quinter and Bill Boyer – September 2005

Bill Boyer & Marilyn Quinter

Marilyn Quinter and Bill Boyer each had long marriages before losing their spouses.  Then, about eight years ago, Bill stopped by the senior center in Hamburg to help a friend – and he was greeted by a very attractive, smiling woman who told him her name was Marilyn.  Marilyn says she immediately noticed Bill’s “pretty blue eyes” and later passed him a note with her phone number.  Bill really had no plans to call her but later reconsidered – and they’ve been together ever since. 

Marilyn says they are very compatible, that they like the same things and they both enjoy having fun – which includes dressing as Santa and Mrs. Clause for Christmas parties.  Bill says Marilyn is a great cook and housekeeper, and, “there’s not a bad thing I could say about her!”