From Kindergarten and Forever! a love story that will break your heart
Soldier James Garish kept childhood love in his soul all his life, and when they finally found each other, nothing could separate them, not even a terrible disease, writes Reader’s Digest.
Found her while at war
He dropped out of school at 14 and spent most of his life doing part-time jobs before enlisting in the army in 2008. He was not good with spelling, but he always remembered the strange name of the girl who studied with him in the same kindergarten group:
Stipkovich. In childhood, many people experience their first love for the first time, but for almost everyone it quickly passes. However, things were different for James. Despite the fact that many years had passed, the image of the young beauty Elizabeth kept popping up before his eyes.
Already in the army during the fighting in Iraq, 34-year-old Garish decided to Google the rare name Stipkovic and see what she was doing now.
“I was curious if she had changed over the years or if she was still beautiful,” James recalled. “I found her on Facebook and found that she still lives in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where we both grew up.”
He was always a clown and brought caregivers
Stipkovich had no idea who this guy was, she was on the other side of the world and raised her six-year-old daughter alone. But her mother immediately remembered James. “So this is the same funny boy from your kindergarten!” — she exclaimed.
“It was only then that I remembered him,” says Elizabeth. “We called him Little Bad Jimmy, he was the clown of the group, constantly making everyone laugh and driving the teachers crazy.”
James never married and had no children, but he suddenly wanted to help other people’s children. He donated his first paycheck, for example, to a little boy who suffered from Marathon Genetic Disorder Syndrome and was unable to go camping with the other boys.
In 2017, three years after her diagnosis, while Elizabeth was in the hospital and connected to numerous medical devices, James entered her room and confidently said: “I think we deserve something good in this life. Will you marry me?»
Seeing the ring, the woman cried silently, and then, smiling, joked: “Did you decide to get insurance after my death?”
“In fact, I was delighted with this offer,” Stipkovic admitted. “I always wanted to feel like a princess in a snow-white dress, and I made a promise to myself that as soon as I find a man my daughter loves, I will definitely marry him!” She said yes!
The townspeople arranged their wedding
However, the reality was far from fairytale fantasies. Hospital bills were piling up, and Stipkovic was too weak to work. But in their town there were people who believed that dreams come true.
The doctors didn’t tell Elizabeth how long she could fight the disease, so no one knew how much money she’d need. But the local social service remembered how once James gave his last money to help a sick child.
Unbeknownst to the couple, one of the charity’s employees contacted the city’s patrons and helped organize their wedding. Small shops in Pittsburgh sent free flowers, a wedding cake, and even a photo booth for guests to take photos.
Wedding dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids were also provided by a local shop, they were decorated with Swarovski crystals. They all got their hair and makeup done for free. It was fantastic!
About 200 people were invited to the ceremony, the guests could not hide the tears of tenderness and joy.
Died two months after marriage
The bride also cried without stopping, at the time of the ceremony she moved with difficulty. At one point, she lost her balance and fell in front of the guests, but none of them attached any importance to this.
She managed to get up quickly, and then her father cheerfully remarked: “This is the most energetic bride I have ever seen!”
Locals, discussing this amazing wedding, say that Elizabeth and James have already experienced as much together as many lovers do, which is why they deserve to live in happiness the last days together.
And even their oath “Until death do us part” seemed serious for the first time, because they knew exactly what they were talking about.
For their first dance, the DJ played Celine Dion’s «Because You Loved Me». Listening to her, the guests cried bitterly: “You were my strength when I was weak / You were my voice when I couldn’t speak…” There were also tears in the eyes of the newlyweds.
Two months after the marriage, Stipkovich died at her home surrounded by loved ones, and her faithful husband James held her hand.
