Gerald McClain and Cody Whitten both age 89, have been life-long friends growing up on farms in Iowa near the small town of Hampton. After retirement and many cold winters in Iowa, they moved to Bradenton Florida with their wives.
They married twin sisters, Beulah and Betty Conklin on Valentine’s day, 1947, and each sister died within six months of one another. Before their imminent deaths, Beulah and Betty banned Gerald and Cody from remarrying, and to never date during the month of February.
Both men agreed, and within a year after the death of the last twin, Beulah, Gerald and Cody sold their homes and decided to share a two bedroom senior condo in Bradenton Fl.
They stay active walking two miles along the beach every morning, going to the gym three times a week, participating in the Senior Olympics and volunteering as docents at the Florida Maritime Museum.
Many women in their senior condo building ask the men to attend dances as dance partners, and throughout the year they are called upon to escorted women to black-tie events except during the month of February.
During the month of February, both Gerald and Cody after 9:30, am mass, visit the graves sites of their wives placing fresh flowers on their headstones who are buried next to one another. For several hours both men, sit, pray and talk to their wives.
On the 14th, of February, Gerald and Cody sometimes joined by their adult children take their family photo albums to the grave sites, and they spend hours reminiscing.
During the month of February, they have become accustomed to many women asking them on dates and each politely tells the women, they are banned from dating during the month of February.
When one persistent woman caught the two in front of their apartment building, she asked why they are banned from dating during the month of February.
Gerald told the woman, “its a promise to our wives we made before they died several years ago.
The woman smiled and felt emotional with the love she recognized in Gerald’s statement.
Cody spoke up telling the lady, “we are also afraid our wives may return to haunt or scare us to death.” 🙂
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