Seniors share day of romance as they renew their vows in Highland Park for Valentine's Day - 2/13/2009

HIGHLAND PARK — Cupid came early for seven couples who renewed their wedding vows on Friday.

The day before Valentine's Day ceremony had all the trimming with flower girls and rose petals, — except the participants all had their AARP cards.

Some used walkers or wheelchairs. Every bride carried a nosegay and grooms looked dapper with boutonnieres.

The ceremony took place at a chapel at the Parker at Stonegate assisted living facility on River Road.

It was more than seven decades ago that Arthur Hozore learned that the woman who would become Becca Cile Hozore was a good dancer.

"She was going with a guy who had as much rhythm as this does," said Hozore, 91, pointing to his wife Becca's walker.

The courtship with the bad dancer was short.

The Hozores met at the University of Missouri — Columbia where Arthur majored in business administration and his wife, now 90, joked she majored in fun.

It was 72 years ago today that Becca accepted his fraternity pin. He's not sure how the proposal took place, but they got engaged on Valentine's Day. His wife claims she did the asking. "I can't verify that," he said.

The couple married as teens. Their extended family includes two daughters, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Becca Hozore is known to laugh out loud at her husband's comments and kiss his hand. Yesterday, when it came time for the traditional kissing of the bride, Becca kissed her husband's hand. She also sang along at the chapel when the organist played "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."

Their grandson, Greg Savad, 42, was on hand with his video camera.

"It's a wonderful thing, especially these days. They're just as in love as when they were dating. I wasn't around, obviously," he said.

Officiant Lynda Lowell-Mullusky read Helen Steiner Rice poems and commented that the couples did not know what their futures held when they wed.

For Alex and Lillian Glick, fun times like going to Woodstock in the 1960s and seeing comics like Milton Berle at Grossinger's in the Catskills were mixed with some hard life chapters. They lost their grandson, Richard Glick, to cancer in 1970. He was just 11. Then on June 12, 1987, their son Michael Glick, who was Richard's father, died in a car accident. It was his 47th birthday.

"You live with it forever. You never forget," said Alex Glick, 94.

But he stayed active over the years. Glick still drives and has standing card games every week where the "fellas" make quarter bets.

Alex and Lillian fell in love in high school in Monticello, N.Y. 75 years ago and have been married for more than 70 years.

Alex came to New Jersey to go to Rider College, now Rider University, and had a career as a certified public accountant.

Lillian, 92, has Alzheimer's and lives in the nursing home portion of the assisted living facility.

The Glicks yesterday attended a reception after the ceremony along with the other couples.

During the festivities, some couples got up and danced as older tunes, like "Always," played.

As Gordon Stumpo looked at Gary, his wife of 66 years, he asked, "Isn't she a pretty woman?"

"I was supposed to be a boy," the 88-year-old Gary said about her unusual name.

After two children and two grandchildren together, her husband, now 91, lets Gary do the talking. He calls her "my spokesman."

Gary Stumpo said that she had very frugal tastes and had no interest in diamonds or furs.

"The first thing he gave me was a toaster oven," she said. "I thought I had a gold mine."

Also renewing their vows yesterday were: Robert and Janet Gaynor, Russell and Alice Alexander, John and Florence Wiegartner and Elias and Lillian Egeth, who have been married 74 years.