Chance meeting sparks lasting love

GUSTINE –  Valentine’s Day is Sunday, a special time for couples of every age and stage in their relationship to celebrate their love and commitment to one another.

For one West Side couple, Valentine’s Day and their anniversary go hand-in-hand, separated by only a day.

Richard and Linda Perrett of Gustine will celebrate 39 years of marriage on Feb. 13.

From their first chance meeting,  they knew they were meant for one another.

A connection between their families.....a property transaction, actually...and fate’s timing brought the Perretts together.

His brother had purchased her family’s ranch in Oregon. One fall weekend, Linda drove down from college in Portland to retrieve some of her property that was still at the ranch, where Richard had moved to work for his brother.

They were introduced and just started talking, a conversation that extended for hours into the November chill.

“He called me a few days after that and we went on our first date that weekend,” Linda shared. They went to a movie and to eat at a hofbrau.

“She wore a green dress,” Richard remembered with a smile. She doesn’t remember what he wore exactly but that he was cleaned up. “I even washed my pick-up and polished my boots!” he noted.

The next weekend was Thanksgiving so they didn’t see other but the following weekend he drove back up to Portland, about a two-hour drive, to pick her up for their second date - and to propose.

“I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!” Richard expressed. “We’ve never second-guessed it.”

They were married three months later. And now, nearly 40 years later, they are still living life to the fullest and loving their lives together. They are one of those couples who even after decades together act like a young couple in love; their affection for each other evident in the glances they exchange, expressing volumes without sharing words.

Their secret to a successful, lifelong happiness focuses on respect and commitment.

“We made an agreement from the first day to never say anything derogatory about each other and never talk about divorce,” they stated. That word would never be used in their home. It wasn’t an option.

And in conversations with others, they would not put down their spouse or say anything negative about them. “Linda could always find something bad about me if she wanted to,” Richard shared with a smile toward his wife. “But it’s important to always be positive and supportive of one another. Words can hurt and once it’s out there, even if you apologize, they can build up and cause damage and what good comes from that?”

Respect for one another is vital to a marriage, and so is the power of laughter.

 “We laugh a lot. Every day the silliest things make us laugh and smile. Our relationship never seems stale,” they shared.

Life is full of challenges, and a sense of humor helps a couple navigate through the tougher times.

“He has an amazing sense of humor that can smooth out anything,” Linda described. “She’s the same way,” Richard agreed.

Like any other couple, the Perretts have seen their share of life’s challenges, but they don’t see them as struggles so much as just part of life.

“We are both strong-willed and have a determination to not let things get the better of us,” Linda explained.

They deal with whatever situation is before them together, as a team, and when one is weak the other provides the strength needed to endure whatever is happening.

“Our faith sustains us. There’s a peace that comes from our faith,” Richard expressed.

That faith has been a strong foundation for their marriage; one that was established shortly after they were married. Richard belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Linda decided to join the faith as well shortly after they were married. Her decision, the couple agreed, created a foundation of shared faith which has been a bedrock in their lives together.

Their compassion for others and their genuine affection for each other is readily apparent.

“I love Richard’s outlook on life. He’s always happy and he’s naturally kind to everyone,” Linda described.

“Linda is gorgeous inside and out,” he reflected. “She does a lot of good things for people without wanting anything in return.”

The Perretts raised three daughters, Kim, Leigh and Andi, and now have 10 grandchildren.

They moved a few times in their early years as needed for work, landing in California in 1983 and in Gustine in 1988 where they are now enjoying retirement.