MT. STERLING, Ky. (LEX 18) — Love stories don't have expiration dates, as Brenda and Bob Wagoner discovered at the Montgomery County Senior Center.
The couple, ages 71 and 74, were each working through grief when they met in 2023. What started as a card game led to companionship, and now their lives are just beginning together.
"During the pandemic, my husband of almost 48 years passed away, and with the isolation and the grief it was really hard for me to get back out into society," Brenda said.
A grief counselor nudged her out the door and into the senior center, where she found more than just activities.
"The people took me in, they embraced me, and taught me how to play this card game they play, and I felt like I belonged," Brenda said.
That's where she met Bob, a self-proclaimed bachelor navigating the recent loss of his mother.
"Bob comes back and we start playing cards together and we end up sitting together at lunch one day, talking about grief after losing someone really close," Brenda recalled.
"That's why I was coming to the center," said Bob. "After losing my mother, I started meeting new friends and here she came," Bob said, nodding to Brenda.
The other senior center regulars quickly noticed their connection.
"And then everybody started in on the matchmaking, 'You two need to get together, you need to get together,'" Brenda laughed.
"It was a great feeling getting to know somebody…kinda like you were a teenager again, get all nervous, edgy, hoping everything will work out, and it did," Bob said.
Like any good romantic comedy, their relationship had the classic "will they, won't they" moment.
"We both were like, I don't wanna get married, we'll just be friends, just date," Mullins said.
But you know how that goes.
"He finally asked me to marry him, but I said 'I'm not ready,'" said Brenda. Finishing her sentence, Bob recalled, 'Well, when you get ready you let me know.'"
On December 23, 2025, Mullins was ready.
They originally planned to wed at the courthouse, but once the county judge and mayor heard their love story, the guest list grew. The couple decided to say "I do" where it all began: the senior center.
"It's just a comfort being with her," Bob said.
"I like to cook, Bob likes to eat, so we got it made," the couple laughed.
The newlyweds plan to honeymoon in the spring by fishing on a lake somewhere.
