And lo! It came to pass.. 75 years on
‘Mary & Joseph’ in stable relationship
TWO pensioners who played Mary and Joseph in their primary school Nativity play have struck up a whirlwind romance – 75 years later. Tony Jackson, 81, and Gloria Loukes, 80, played the couple as five-year-olds in 1945. Before going their separate ways aged 11, Tony had given Gloria a heart-shaped necklace, which she wears today. They reunited last August after the grandad-of-16 called to see if she was “still alive”.
It came 17 years after the pair met, with their late spouses, in their home town of Sheffield, after Tony could not attend a Pomona Street School reunion organised by Gloria. It would be years before they set eyes on each other again.
Tony had dug out her number during a sortout at home.
After the first call the pair began dating, despite now living 200 miles apart, and talk on the phone up to six times a day.
LOVELY
Mum-of-two Gloria, a retired primary teacher who lives in Biggin Hill, Kent, said: “After my husband died I thought that was it, I didn’t think about finding someone else again or even consider it. “But then Tony called and was absolutely lovely. “Since then we have got on so well and had such a lovely time that we want to keep it going.”
Tony, who was a BT engineer and still lives in Sheffield, said: “I was delighted to hear her voice. We get on very well, Gloria’s a wonderful woman.” The couple, who both lost their spouses in 2017, are “excited” about the future and have four UK trips planned this year. They bonded over poetry, a shared sense of humour and reminiscing over old times and are considering moving in together one day. Tony said: “We have lots of lost time to make up for.”