Pittsburgh-area couple proves it's never too late to fall in love
ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) — Sometimes you find love when you're not looking for it, and that's what happened to a Beaver County couple.
Mary de la Cruz and Vince Lack never thought they'd find love again.
"I really wasn't even thinking about it, let alone looking," de la Cruz said.
"I was planning not to. I was just waiting till the end of my life so I could be over it, but she really changed all that. She gave me a purpose and a reason to be," Lack said.
They met before the pandemic at LIFE Beaver County's center in Aliquippa. Two staff members played matchmaker and told de la Cruz she should get to know Lack.
They met and de la Cruz knew she had to play her cards right.
"I had some raffle tickets for a church one day, and I went around to different people and I said you want one? He said how much, and I said now I got your number," she said.
"I remember calling my daughter and said I met a lady today that really seems to like me, we're getting along really good," Lack said.
Their friendship blossomed. Lack started going to the Aliquippa center on the same days as de la Cruz.
The facility shut down during the pandemic, so they would spend time together at his home.
Their love for each other kept growing over the next few years, and de la Cruz knew she had a winning hand when Lack popped the question on Valentine's Day last year.
Lack is 74 years old and de la Cruz is 61. This past October, they promised to stand by each other through thick and thin at a commitment ceremony in the place where their love story began, LIFE Beaver County's facility. They were surrounded by staff members and family, including Lack's four daughters.
"I had a really bad experience. So, for like 20 years, I didn't do anything, I didn't date anybody. She always made me feel like I was lovable again, and that was a really important thing for me," he said.
The couple goes to book club, art club, and used to be in the choir. They also enjoy going to plays and concerts, sometimes they listen to live music from their parked car.
When they're apart, they love talking on the phone all day long.
"We start talking at 8 o'clock and we continue talking until we go to bed, whatever time," Lack said.
The lovebirds plan on moving in together. The two complete each other; de la Cruz said she can get really wound up and Lack keeps her calm.
"Vince was always there, calm down and slow down, just the opposite you know. I think that's why it's so good," she said.
"She's pretty amazing. She has a really sharp mind and she has about four times the energy I do," he said.
Because it's Ash Wednesday, they celebrated Valentine's Day a day early at Applebee's.
Lack and de la Cruz make love look easy. You never know what cards you'll be dealt in life, but their relationship proves it's never too late to find love.
"Don't give up, hang into the end because God's out there and he has plans. He makes things happen and the odds of me meeting Mary are like nonexistent," Lack said.
"It's still possible and sometimes the best way to do it is when you're not looking for it because I wasn't," said de la Cruz.
Living Independence for the Elderly (LIFE) is a program offered by Pennsylvania LIFE Provider Alliance that provides in-home assistance, comprehensive medical services and activities to qualified adults 55 and older who live in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, and Lawrence counties.
If you'd like to learn more about LIFE services, or find out if you or a loved one qualifies, visit LIFE VieCare's website.
