93-Year-Old Man Is Marrying The Love Of His Life 7 Decades After They First Met

The captivating love story of a 93-year-old man, Joseph Potenzano, and Mary Elkind is an irrefutable testament that love always wins. They met at a wedding in Paramus in 1959, where Joseph was the Best Man, and Mary was the Maid of Honor.

The two dated briefly before they split and went on to focus on their career—Mary trained to become a professional dancer while Joseph studied engineering at Fairleigh Dickinson University. However, fate has brought them together again after 64 years, and the lovers are set to tie the knot this time.

Joseph Potenzano and Mary Elkind reunite after six decades

After the pair moved on with their lives, Mary married someone else with whom she raised a family in Rockland County, New York, while the 93-year-old remained unmarried. Joseph revealed that he went on numerous dates with different women, but none of these relationships progressed beyond the initial meetings.

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“It was a strange thing,” he admitted. “It was something in life that always evaded me. I was never in the right spot in the right time. I was in the wrong place at the right time. I was pretty positive that was the way it was going to be.”

After Mary’s husband passed, Joseph found the courage to ask her out. She recalled that they were seated together at a christening when he unexpectedly extended the invitation. “Would you like to have coffee or lunch with me one day?” Mary recalled. “I said, ‘Sure!’ and then he says, “Well, I guess I’m going to need your phone number.’”

Joseph Potenzano and Mary Elkind set to marry in October

On their first date, they attended a show by an Irish dance troupe at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown. Potenzano revealed that it was an instant connection but due to the presence of family members, they maintained a discreet demeanor.

“The best part was when we both had to get up,” he said. “I grabbed her by the hand and walked down the aisle. Then her niece came by and we just dropped hands. We didn’t want them to see anything because it was our first time.”

After some time together, Joseph popped the question, and after some hesitation, Mary replied in the affirmative. The lovers are set to marry at Our Lady of the Visitation R.C. Church in Paramus, which he had attended all his life, on October 15, after which they will proceed to Cape Cod for their honeymoon.