For the most part, Sue and Gary Van Dyken’s wedding in Centralia on Saturday was a conventional Christmastime celebration.
Sue wore a ballgown embellished with flowers. Gary donned a red, white and green boutonniere. Decorations included wreaths, ornaments, ribbons, red roses and poinsettias.
Still, the newlyweds can claim status as trendsetters.
Theirs was the first-ever wedding hosted at Sharon Care Center, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Centralia.
Neither the 73-year-old bride nor the 78-year-old groom, both of Puyallup, are Sharon Care residents. Instead, the venue was chosen for 54-year-old Lori McNellis, Sue’s daughter, who gave the duo her blessing.
When daughter Lori was diagnosed with cancer, Sue “put her life on hold” to care for her daughter, said Toni Goins, admissions director for the Centralia facility.
When the betrothed asked for Sharon Care to serve as the venue, Toni said: “After I stopped crying, I knew that we were going to do everything we can to make this extra special. Because, not everybody gets a second chance at love.”
After transforming the Sharon Care library into a chapel, staff decorated a dining room for the reception hall and styled Lori and Sue’s hair and makeup.
Both widowed, the Van Dykens met about one year ago. Gary’s neighbor set them up. Their first date included a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. Sue wasn’t looking for a partner, she said.
“But I was,” Gary said.
“When God blesses you with a second chance, you’ve gotta grab it,” Sue chimed in. “You’re never, never too old. Ever.”
Tying the knot at age 73, according to Sue, is no less exciting than getting hitched at age 20.
“Oh my gosh, it really doesn’t feel any different,” she said. “It’s just exciting. You’re joining a life together.”
She loves Gary for his kind heart, listening skills and wise perspective, Sue said. Gary loves that his new wife is fun. They laugh together often, he said.
Friends and family came from as far as Arkansas for Saturday’s ceremony. Combined, Sue and Gary have five children, 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Only Lori, though, was present for the proposal.
“It was heartwarming. I was folding clothes, or doing what I do, and I see Gary kneel down next to her. And then, I saw her crying. I’m like, ‘What the heck?’” Sue recalled. “Then, he walked over to me and knelt down in front of me.”
Lori doesn’t think she’d be well enough to leave the facility for a wedding anywhere else. Asked if she was excited about her mother’s marriage, Lori said “yes” through tears of joy.
