Widower married for 57 years shares how he fell in love with his late wife when they were kids

True love often arrives when we least expect it, and for one elderly man, it blossomed into a lifetime of devotion. Bucky, who was married to his late wife Marian for 57 years and 19 days, shared the touching story of how their bond began in the most unexpected way. In a heartfelt interview with digital creator Hunter Prosper (@hunter_prosper on Instagram), Bucky’s tale of love resonated deeply, quickly capturing hearts across the internet.

"Who was your greatest love and why did you fall in love with them?" the interviewer asked. "My greatest love was my wife, Marian. We met in grade school... she came in mid-year," the elderly man shared. "They introduced her and she sat down right in front of me. She was cute and had a pigtail. I pulled on it," Bucky added with a smile. "I actually dipped it in an ink well." The interviewer chuckled and asked the man, "Did she get mad at you?" He answered, "No, never got mad. I teased her all the time." When asked how long they had been married, Bucky replied, "57 years and 19 days...but who's counting?" Hunter then asked, "When did you know that you loved Marian?"

"I was thinking about that the other day and I think I fell in love with her in sixth grade," the man recounted. "It was a project for a parent-teacher night. I was drawing a leopard and I couldn't finish it because the bus was there. So she put the spots on the leopard and turned it in for me." Bucky continued, "When I went up with my mother that night, there was my leopard with spots. I always told her, I said, 'That's what you get for putting spots on my leopard.'" Both of them laughed before the man added, "We just belonged together... We were like we were one person. It was a good time. I wish there had been another 57 years, but it didn't happen."

The video caption read, "Every stranger has a story, let’s start listening." Hunter shared the video as a part of his "Stories from a stranger" series. The video received over 6.6 million views on the platform. People in the comments appreciated the heartwarming story of the marriage that lasted more than half a century and shared their own experiences with lasting relationships. "My grandparents had a similar story of how they met. Over 50 years married. And I loved hearing any story I could have of how they met. I wish I had asked for more. Now I can’t," wrote @beloved_angel12321.

"Marian sounds like an angel. She's waiting in heaven for Bucky, with a picture of that leopard," commented @xaustin21. "Get you someone who puts the spots on your leopard. Beautiful love story," remarked @_missmecca. "So that just touched my heart, wow. You could feel his love through his words. I love that he was blessed to have her in his life," commented @mochasoul1.

You can follow Hunter (@hunter_prosper) on Instagram for more stories from strangers.