How and when did you first meet?
We were both stationed in Fort Walton Beach, Florida—me from Tennessee and Toby from Michigan. Although we served in different squadrons, we lived in the same dorm. I would often see Toby outside tossing a football with his friends or waxing his Trans Am, thinking to myself how handsome he was. I was incredibly shy back then and would never have dreamed of approaching him.
One night, I went to a bar with some friends who happened to work with him, and to my surprise, he was there. My heart dropped the moment I saw him. When he asked me to dance, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The instant his hand touched my waist to guide me to the dance floor, the butterflies arrived—big time. It was truly the best night ever.
The next day I went to work and told my sergeant, “I met the man I’m going to marry.” And I meant it. From that night on, we spent every day together and were married six months later. I know it sounds corny, but I just knew from the moment I met him.
Tell us about the proposal.
There wasn’t a traditional proposal. After visiting both our families—mine in Tennessee and his in Michigan—we talked on the drive back and agreed that we wanted to get married. Just like that. We decided on December 31st and planned to have a big wedding celebration later.
Tell us about your wedding.
Our wedding was a simple, sweet ceremony at the courthouse with a couple of friends as witnesses. We always planned to have a bigger celebration later, but that intimate moment, just the two of us committing our lives to each other, was perfect.
What do you cherish most about each other?
Patricia: When it comes to Toby, I cherish absolutely everything about him—his loyalty, his devotion, and the unwavering support he’s shown me through every idea, dream, and adventure I’ve chased. His dedication to his family, his kindness toward everyone he meets… all of it makes him the man I fell in love with and continue to love every single day.
Toby: “When we first started dating, I got an ear infection from swimming in the ocean. Pat came over constantly—three or four times a day—to take care of me. I was in a lot of pain, but it all seemed to disappear the moment she walked through the door. I had never in my life had someone care about my well-being that much. That’s when I knew she was the woman I was going to marry.”
Got any sweet, funny, or just plain awesome details you want to share?
Toby: After just celebrating our 40th anniversary, we are still best friends.
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