EAGLE, ID — Richard Duke and Rosemarie Phillips, residents of Revel Eagle independent living center, celebrated their marriage with their community after falling in love over the last year.
- The couple moved in separately but found each other through friends and community events.
- Both were long-time residents of Missoula, Montana. However, did not know each other.
- The couple was married on November 24th in Montana.
- The couple celebrated with their community members on Wednesday with a wedding reception with live music.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Eagle had its very own golden bachelor, and he's officially off the market. I am your Eagle neighborhood reporter Alexander Huddleston at Revel, an independent living community in Eagle, where I was lucky enough to attend the reception of two residents, who are now newlyweds.
"We’re not dealing with extra decades. We don’t have a lot of time, and we know this is going to work," said the new bride.
79-year-old Rosemarie Phillips and 78-year-old Richard Duke found each other in the right place at the right time. Both widowed, moved into Revel looking to live out their days being a part of a community. Little did they know they would open a brand new chapter to their golden days.
Duke smiling explained, "Once we started to notice each other, and there was some magnetism there. When I walked the halls, she lived in this building. I lived in that building. When I would go by her room, I would make sure to circle around twice, just in case she would happen to come out at the right time. Once I walked by and she did come out, but my back was to her and I had my headphones on listening to music, and I went out the door and she called out to me, but I missed my chance."
Richard may have missed that opportunity however, according to the couple it was not much longer after a few community events that Richard finally made the first move.
Duke said, "I asked her to dance once, and that's how we started the dancing and everything."
Phillips jumped in, "Then he asked me if I'd like to go to a bar. he said “Do you go to bars?” well yes, I’m from Montana, yes I've been in a bar or two.
As the couple began to get to know each other they learned that they both were long-time residents of Missoula, Montana. Phillips for 60 years, and Duke for 40.
"That was an automatic bonding right there, even though we had not met during that time, there were still people that we knew, and locations that we were familiar with," explained Phillips.
The groom said, "We lived within miles of each other and worked within blocks of each other, for periods of time, and yet we had to come to Boise to meet."
The couple decided to take a trip back to Montana and got married on November 24th. To celebrate the community's first-ever wedding, Revel staff and residents, decided to throw a reception for the newlyweds.
Phillips finished by saying, "It is a beginning. It is a new chapter. Not necessarily a new book but it is an added chapter."
The couple is considering if they want to continue this next chapter back in Montana, but for now, they are happy to start here in Eagle.
