High School Sweethearts Reunite Over 70 Yrs Later And Fall Back In Love.

Bill Hassinger and Joanne Blakkan first met over 70 years ago. It was the 1940s, and the pair were still students at a Michigan high school. Joanne was two years older than Bill, had a car, and was a majorette — and he was smitten. These high school sweethearts were as thick as thieves, even getting sent to the principals office once for kissing on the bus.

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As close as they were, though, everything changed when Joanne graduated before Bill. She went off to Michigan State college while he remained in high school. The pair split and went on to live separate lives, each getting married and having their own children. Both of them thought they’d never cross paths again.

But it seems that fate had other plans. In 2021, a now 92-year-old Joanne and her daughter, Linda, were on a mission to look up old classmates for a 73rd reunion. During their search, Linda asked about her mom’s high school boyfriend.

With just a bit of searching, they found that Bill, who is 90 years old, lived about 80 miles away. They also learned that his wife had died the year before. Joanne understands all too well the pain of losing a spouse — she lost her husband in 1989 and hadn’t remarried since.

Thinking it’d be fun to catch up, Joanne wrote him a letter. They met for lunch and, just like that, their feelings for each other came back like they had never even left.

“I had lived alone all this time, and I certainly wasn’t looking for love or a man,” Joanne says. “I was content. But he was always in the back of my mind. I loved that young boy.”

Now, this sweet couple makes sure to spend every weekend together. You’ll often find them playing games (cribbage, gin, puzzles), cuddling, and walking. It doesn’t really matter what they do, though, as long as they’re together.

“Walking is just a medium to get from one place to another and I don’t necessarily have to walk every day to remember how to do it,” Bill explains. “But I walk because she likes to do it and I like being with her.”

This adorable couple has become quite popular where they live, earning themselves free lunches from strangers “because they think we are cute,” as Joanne says.

Now that they’re back together, Bill and Joanne are thinking of what their future will look like, whether that be moving into a house together or a retirement home. Either way, you’re sure to find them together, thick as thieves once more.

“No one knows how much time you have,” Joanne says. “Both of us are in reasonably good health for our age and mentally alert. So we want to enjoy our time here.”

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