All you need is love (and patience)

I thought it would be sweet to go to Facebook and ask people how they fell in love. (Well, technically I asked “how you met your significant other,” but “how they fell in love” sounds a lot better).

It never occurred to me, though, that quite so many people would respond. And all with such wonderful stories. They run the gamut from breaking up and getting back together years later to rescuing a damsel in distress.

And for the record, that byline should really read, “By Alex Costello and the Oceanside and Island Park communities.” All I did was write this babbley bit here at the beginning (and I rocked the copy-and-pasting from Facebook).

So here are your tales. I can’t remember the last time I smiled as much as when I was reading all of these. Thank you to everyone who shared their love stories. And a happy Valentine’s Day to everyone.

We met at work at Glen Oaks village in 2008. Now I'm his boss at home and at work!

-Jean Bailo Leo

I met my significant other in Rockaway in 1976. We went on a few dates, and I dumped him because he was boring! We went to his brother’s wedding together and he ignored me. I came to find out years later it was because he was so shy. We were always friends, though. He lived out of state for over 25 years. We were reunited about three years ago through his brother, and are still together. He is still low key and quiet and it is a good thing. It just goes to show you that timing is everything!

- Kathy Strauss

My husband was college roommates with my boyfriend at the time. They hadn't known each other before — the school placed them together. My boyfriend and I broke up eventually, his roommate asked me out, and we wound up getting married and having a beautiful daughter.

-Melissa Dean

I met my husband 15 years ago when his sister married my brother. We stayed acquaintances through the years. Then, in 2010, we went on a cruise and fell in love. We got married in July and had our beautiful daughter the following year — the day before our one-year anniversary. It's been a fairy tale and my happily ever after.

-Rubie Parikh Lubold

I have the typical Island Park story: my husband lived across the street from me growing up. He moved to the other side of town and we meet again at On the Rocks. Great place, great memories. I wish it was still around.

-Patti Ambrosia

I met my wife at Victory's in Garden City. She was sitting with some mutual friends. The best pick-up line she came up with was, "How tall are you?" As bad as that was, I fell in love that first night. We still have a picture of our first kiss on our wall from that night. One and a half years later, we got married on the water in Montauk. Best friend I have ever had. She drives me nuts! Ten years later and I am still crazy for her. Couldn't ask for a better wife or mother to my kids. Love you, babe.

-Tommy Asher

I met husband when I 16 at a night club in Queens. We dated for a year and then drifted apart. Then eight years later I ran into him again at another night club on Long Island. We have been together ever since that day. Who would have thought that a man I met at 16-years-old would be my husband today? We will be married for 11 years in August.

-Caryn Deik

My uncle was getting a divorce from his wife of 25 years. He moved in with my family for a while. We took the train together every morning. One morning she called and had him on the phone complaining like she always did, so we took a later train. On the train we sat next to these two girls he was upset so I started playing around saying, “Ain’t he cute? Look at those dimples,” etc. The two girls played along and by the time we got to Penn Station my uncle was all smiles. That night after work, I was in Pete Smiths and the waiter came over to the table I was sitting at with a round of drinks and said, “This is from the girl at the bar.” Well, it was one of the girls from the train that morning. I got up to say thanks and she said you have to meet my brother. Long story short, we've been married 25 wonderful years and still going.

-Lee Ann Demarco-O’Keeffe

It was 1995 and I was a New York City cop on my way to work and she was working at the Atlantic Beach Bridge taking tolls during the summer. She took my toll and the rest is history!

-Jimmy Duncan

I met my husband when I was 15-years-old and started going out with him when I was 16. We met at West Hempstead High School. I lived in West Hempstead and he lived in Island Park. We have been together ever since, married for 26 years, have four children and live in Island Park.

-Pamela Cohen Gaynor

Walked into the old Shoe Town in Oceanside with a friend to pick up his girlfriend and I saw her friend who worked with her and said I was going to marry her. Twenty-five years later, we have been married 15 years.

-Richard Ryder

My husband was a New York City fireman. I was in school and got locked out of my car. He "rescued" me and got me in my car. We started dating and have been married for 20 years in April.

-Roxanne Weber

My husband and I were set up on a blind date 22 years ago. My mom and her co-worker were in cahoots and set us up. I had never agreed to a blind date before, but my mom could be persistent. Lucky for me I have a persistent mom. My husband and I have been married for 20 years!

-Michele Dreishpoon Pitkowsky

I meet my wife Rosie when I was coming off a ship from Germany in 1955. We are still together. This April will be our 55-year anniversary.

-William Carrollo

My mom wanted my sister and I to meet husbands, so she sent us to Club Getaway. Of course there was a shortage of guys, so the owner (who knew my husband) called him to come up with his friend. So after, "side out and rotate, our team is really great," the cute guy next to me told me I was a good volleyball player (which I obviously wasn't) and that's all it took — telling me I was good at sports. We were married a year later!

-Nancy Schawelson Hollender Friedman

My wife and I both worked at Kmart. They had a bowling team at that time that we both joined. This was back in 1977. We just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary!

-Phil Nittolo