True love, so said, happens but once. Tom and Janie Meyers’ love story nullifies that statement. Both widowed, marrying again was neither desired nor something either expected until Cupid coupled them. “I was Director of Seniors’ Resource Center’s Yellow House when I first met Tom Meyers at one of our fundraisers. At that point in time, I was still experiencing grief over the loss of my husband, Robert Weinberger, who died of cancer in 2012,” Janie reveals. “The only reason Tom made an appearance at the fundraiser was because our mutual friend, Paula Barnes, was trying to help Tom overcome his grief from losing his wife. She thought getting him out and about would help him overcome his grief. Neither of us thought our friends were trying to get us together.”
“Tom and I share the fact that we each had great first marriages, which is why we enjoy being married to each other.”
Cupid’s timing came into play when Janie decided she was ready to embrace something (that really became someone) new. She accepted a position as Director of Elk Run Assisted Living and went to Africa. Upon her return, Tom invited her on a coffee date. Their conversation lingered making the two unite for a second coffee date that was equally as wonderful as the first. “When I had dinner with Tom shortly after the second coffee date, I said, ‘So, I guess we’re dating?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ I couldn’t have been happier. Tom and I share the same faith, we love global travel, and we are devoted to our families. We’re also very different. Tom loves to bike, which is not my thing. I like to read, which is not Tom’s thing, but we are very content sitting together in the same room doing different things. Traveling, researching, and preparing for trips are things we enjoy doing together. Tom and I share the fact that we each had great first marriages, which is why we enjoy being married to each other. I could have gone down a dark hole when Robert died, but I made a conscious decision I was going to enjoy life. Tom solidifies I made the right decision because I thoroughly enjoy being married to him,” Janie explains.
Tom and Janie share a united love in participating and being active within the Evergreen community. “Tom has been a volunteer with Evergreen Fire/Rescue in the Fire Auxiliary Turnouts who assist with a wide range of tasks, projects, special events, and rehabilitation for firefighters during an extended fire or rescue incident. I’ve been a member of Rotary for 28 years. My Evergreen Rotary family helped keep me going when Robert died. It was a very dark time. Through their never-ending love and support, I opened my broken heart to Tom and, without a doubt, he definitely helped me realize the importance of enjoying life. We knew we felt a spark when fate played a hand on New Year’s Eve 2013. I was in the grocery store with tears flowing. I saw Tom, who was alone buying groceries. It was then and there we both knew we wanted to explore this relationship,” she admits.
Knowing they were ready was one thing—preparing to get ready was another, as Janie describes: “Tom and I fell in love gradually, so it seemed inevitable we would gradually embrace the idea of a wedding. When Tom bought me an engagement ring, he showed it to me, and for some unknown reason, he thought it best that it be displayed on his fireplace mantle. Months later, Tom went on a hike and heard the bugling of a bull elk. It took that bugle as a sign that we shouldn’t wait any longer. We married in 2014.”
Tom shares his story: “My wife, GSu, died on July 16, 2012 from leukemia. I was her caregiver for 13 years. When I look back on those years, I realize that my mind was on a continual roller coaster. I liken it to a Marine going through a battle. A year after GSu died, I had torn a carotid artery, which I miraculously overcame. Life was not done with me yet, and I knew I couldn’t allow grief to consume me. Since Janie and I were on the same grief journey when we met, it was healing to share our grief journeys with one another during our first two coffee dates. Because I had been married for 30 years, it was difficult for me to grasp that I was a single man. When Janie and I decided to date, it took time for me to integrate into my psyche that it was okay to date again. I knew I had fallen in love with Janie when I was on a camera shoot. I was a TV news cameraman for 44 years, and when I was assigned to shoot footage on Upper Bear Creek Road, it was there my heart convinced my head that I was deeply in love with Janie and wanted to marry her. Kimra Perkins married us on December 6, 2014, in a beautiful ceremony at a cabin chapel on a private Evergreen Ranch. Janie moved into the home I shared with GSu, which might not have been easy for her, but she never said that to me. Since day one of our marriage, our love story has progressed ever since. At our age, you don’t sweat the small things. Janie and I are definitely opposites. We can do something now that would have angered us 30 years ago, but now we are able to laugh it off. Both of us are looking forward to growing old together… GSu and I didn’t have children, and most of my relatives have passed. Janie gifted me with a ready-made family. It was easier than I thought it would be to step into the role as stepfather and grandfather. I consider my marriage to Janie a gift because her loving family accepted me. If asked what I most love about Janie, it’s looking into her deep blue eyes, and hearing her voice. To sum it up, I love everything about Janie.”
Janie and Tom prove a beautiful life, enriched with love, can be found after heartbreak and loss if hearts and souls remain open, accepting and supportive.
