93-year-old man is marrying the love of his life seven decades after he first met her

Certain love stories possess a profound beauty that demands to be shared. The love between Joe Potenzano and Mary Elkind is undeniably one of these tales. Their paths intertwined nearly seven decades ago, and now, they are poised to embark on the journey of marriage this upcoming fall. "I say this unashamedly. I fell in love with her and she told me she fell in love with me," Potenzano, 93, of Paramus, New Jersey, told ABC affiliate WABC-TV.

Potenzano and Elkind, 83, first crossed paths when his sister was getting married. Elkind was the maid of honor on this day and Potenzano was the best man. “I thought he was cute,” Elkind shared. They ended up dating for some time but life had different plans for them as Elkind was working on becoming a professional dancer and Potenzano studied engineering at Fairleigh Dickinson University, reoprts NJ.

Elkind married someone else and had a family with him in Rockland County, New York. Whereas Potenzano did not get married. They knew what was going on in each other's life through their families and last year, Potenzano asked Elkind out on a date. Her husband had died almost a decade ago. "I was sitting in my house one day, sitting in my sofa chair," he added. "And I noticed there was nobody else I could call. Everybody was gone. And I began to feel that loneliness that only comes at 90 years old." Elkind added, “I said, ‘Sure!’ and then he says, 'Well, I guess I’m going to need your phone number.'"

“The best part was when we both had to get up,” he recalled. “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.” They had gone for a movie and dinner and more dates and one day they were in his house when he proposed to her. “If this romance is going to go anywhere, it’s got to happen fast,” he said. That’s why I broached the subject of marriage. Because at 93 I may only have a few more years.” Elkind felt the same as she expressed, “You may have more than a few years. You never know.”

They will be going to Cape Cod for their honeymoon after their wedding in October. “I’ve always cared for Joe," said Elkind. "There were times when I wondered what my life would have been like if I married Joe. So that’s what makes it easy for me. At my age, I wasn't sure if I was gonna get shot down," she said.