SAN DIEGO — They say love strikes when you least expect it, and for Tammy Chen and Charles Lee, that couldn’t be more true.
The couple celebrated their marriage in front of over 100 guests, proving that it’s never too late to find love.
The two live at The Glen at Scripps Ranch – a retirement community. Charles is 82 years old, while Tammy is 75 years old. They both say they never expected to find each other, only a place to call home. But after their first meeting in 2019, they quickly discovered they had a lot in common.
"She has two daughters and I have two sons and from there on, we found we have a lot of things in common, a lot of interesting things about each that we would like to share with each other," said Charles.
After moving to the United States from Taiwan, Tammy and Charles started separate families. Both eventually became widows.
They settled into the retirement community without taking a second shot at finding love. That was until one day that Charles picked up the phone.
"And I asked a very simple question, I said, ‘What’s your plan for New Year’s Eve?’" Charles said. "She says, ‘Nothing, why don’t you come over and have dinner with me?’ That’s how it all started."
After insisting for over a year that they get married, Tammy says she finally gave in and said, ‘I do.’
"He makes me laugh every day, that’s why I like him," Tammy said. "We need that at this age - we want joy every day."
The couple says they are both interested in China, Taiwan and sports – including table tennis, which can get pretty competitive.
“I also let her know how to let her win without showing her,” Charles said laughing.
Remarriage among older adults is rare, but Charles and Tammy beat the odds even after a pandemic.
"I’m lucky at this age that we found each other," Tammy said.
They encourage older adults looking for love to go for it without hesitation.
"At our age, we don’t have years to court or date a lot of people, we have to take the moment – seize the moment," she added.
The couple says they now look forward to taking care of each other and living out their days together.