The story of Gertrude and Alvin is a sweet love story that reminds us that it is never too late to find the love of your life.
Gertrude Mokotov and Alvin Mann first introduced themselves eight years ago to a gym in Middletown, New York, which they still visit twice a week. She was 98 years old and he was 94.
"A mutual friend of mine told me I wanted to meet a very good lady," Mann recalls. On their first date, he took her to a restaurant called "Kati Glyko". "He was a real gentleman," Mokotov continued, and Mann added, "There was something about her that made me want to keep talking."
The two decided directly that they belong together and talked about their dreams and goals and how they will spend their lives.
Mann, who sees the world through the eyes of a sailor, left the troubled seas and found peace and tranquility at his home in Cuddebackville, where he spent his time studying to earn his college degree. Mokotov, who "throws" him five years, had built her house in Middletown and was willing to share it with good company.
"I was constantly annoyed that I was going out with a cougar," says Mann, laughing. "But the age difference did not really bother me because everything went quickly with her and I would not let her go."
They continued to go out last June, after another trip to the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan, Gertrude decided to leave the traditions behind: "I asked him to marry me. "I could not keep chasing him," he confesses.
He made an appointment for her on Aug. 5 at MIddletown Town Hall, where they exchanged vows of eternal love in front of Mayor Joseph DeStefano and 50 relatives and friends.
"It was like an early birthday present," said Mokotov, who blew out candles on August 20 and turned 99. "Let me be 99 and 98 years old. Age is just a number, said Ms. Mokotoff.
Mann graduated last year from Mount St. College. Mary College, thus becoming the oldest "student" to graduate from this college. He agreed that when it comes to age, it does not always match how much one is with how much one feels.
