ROMANCE FOR THE AGES REKINDLED AFTER 75 YEARS
They kissed on a school bus Now, 77 years later, they’re reconnected. Bill Hassinger gave his high school sweetheart, Joanne Blakkan, a silver bracelet with green gems more than seven decades ago.
They parted ways after Blakkan left for college, but she kept it in her jewelry box.
“It was just too pretty to get rid of,” said Blakkan, now 92.
She couldn’t bring herself to part with a gift from her first love.
More than 75 years later, she’s now wearing it again. She and Hassinger, 90, are back together.
Their love story started in 1947, when they were both students at North Muskegon High School in west Michigan. They met on the school bus one morning.
By the time Blakkan was a senior, “we went steady,” she said.
“She had a lot more seniority on me and I was learning, so I just followed her lead,” he said, adding that they once got sent to the principal’s office for kissing on the school bus. “They said that was inappropriate behaviour.”
Over time, though, “we kind of drifted apart,” said Blakkan.
Hassinger went on to marry another woman he dated in high school, and Blakkan married a man she started dating while she was in college. They each had three children.
Hassinger had a 32-year career with the Michigan State Police. He was married to his wife — who died in 2021 — for 68 years.
Blakkan worked as an office manager for a surgeon, and later an allergist in Ann Arbor, Mich. Her husband died of a heart attack in 1989 when he was 57. Blakkan — who lives in Muskegon — had no desire to date, she said.
That changed in 2022, when Blakkan was tasked with planning her high school reunion.
“Somehow or other, Bill’s name came up,” said Blakkan, whose daughter, Linda, was helping her find contact information for her former classmates online.
Blakkan decided to take a chance, and reach out to her long-ago love.
Not long after, they went for lunch at a local restaurant, and “it was just like old times,” Hassinger said. “We just cut to the chase.”
In a matter of hours, their teenage crushes came back.
From there, they went on weekly dates, and before long, they began spending long stretches of time at each other’s homes. They read, play cards, complete puzzles and crosswords. They also go on regular walks together.
“I think our feelings are stronger now than they were then,” said Blakkan.
“Both sides of the family are thrilled, which makes it very nice,” said Hassinger.
The couple said they’re not sure yet if they’ll get married or move in together. “The only thing for certain is that we’ll be together,” Hassinger said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
After their reunion was shared by Good Morning America, Blakkan and Hassinger said strangers often stop them to congratulate them.
She and Hassinger hope their story leaves people with an important message.
“If the love is there, go for it,” Blakkan said.