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Connie Miller and Paul Jones loved each other in 1973. They were just out of high school and working at a factory near their hometowns in Pennsylvania.
But after a year and a half together, they drifted apart. Paul went off to college to become a physician's assistant. Connie stayed in town, got married and had two children. During the decades, they had fleeting reunions. He sent condolences when her parents died. She sent him a note when his mother died. One time they ran into each other at the mall. But they hadn't really talked in years.
Paul married, too, and when he later divorced he considered trying to find Connie but thought she was still married. When she divorced, she thought about finding Paul but figured he also was still married.
On Jan. 2, 2010, Paul decided to try anyway. He found a Connie Miller Ruane, her married name, on Facebook. He sent a message.
"Are you the same Connie Miller whose parents were Ed and Loretta Miller?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "I'm the same one."
She was still in Pennsylvania, working as an accountant and spending all of her free time with her children and grandchildren. He was living in Land O'Lakes and working at Community Hospital. For more than a year, Connie and Paul talked with each other via email and phone.
In May 2011, she took a trip to Florida to visit her brother and stopped by to see Paul for only a day. She was nervous. For years, she had focused on taking care of her family. They were her world. Dating wasn't a priority.
"I knew I still had feelings for Paul," she said, "but it was a big step."
He was nervous, too. But after they hugged and said hello, it all seemed to melt away. They were comfortable together. They fit.
She went back home and was busy with life up North. When she came back for a visit in August, Paul took her to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Madeira Beach. During dinner, he asked:
"Do you think you could love me again?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "I definitely feel that."
When the server brought their dessert, it had an engagement ring on top of it. Paul asked if Connie would marry him. He had always loved her and they had spent enough time apart, he said.
He didn't want to waste more time.
"Yes!" she said. "Yes, I'll marry you."
It was sudden and shocking, but Connie knew this was what she wanted. She loved him. And as scary as it was to think of moving away from her home, she wanted to do it for him. He offered to move to Pennsylvania, but the job market was difficult.
Paul went to Pennsylvania and helped load her things into a truck, and they drove together to Land O'Lakes. They were married Nov. 26 at the North Tampa Church of Christ in Lutz. It was a small ceremony. Connie's sons walked her down the aisle. Her daughter-in-law was her maid of honor. Paul's father was his best man.
Connie took Paul's last name. She is still looking for a job and getting used to having free time. Her dog, Mickey, and his dog, MiMi, are getting along fine. Connie and Paul painted rooms in the house and found places for her things.
They are happy.
"I think this happened for a reason," Connie said. "We are very lucky to have another chance — a second chance, which a lot of people don't have."
Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this story. Erin Sullivan can be reached at esullivan@tampabay.com.
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