Love of Art
In 1964, when John W. Jones transferred to Bethel Hanberry County School in Blythewood at 13 years old, Millie Johnson was the first girl who spoke to him. They soon found themselves in young love.
Fast forward several years later to graduation, and Jones was drafted into the military and all but disappeared, except for the updates that his sister sometimes passed along to Johnson. As time went on, both Jones and Johnson married other people and they lost contact with each other.
Then in the late 70’s, Johnson tracked down Jones, who had since become an acclaimed portraitist and asked him to paint a picture of her son, which he did. For decades, the painting hung on the wall without anyone noticing that Jones had never signed it, until in 2019, Johnson’s son asked her who the artist was. Again, Johnson did some sleuthing to find Jones so that she could have him autograph the portrait. This time when they met, each learned that the other’s spouse had since passed away and they realized that after 40-50 years, the spark still remained between them.
The two married on April 23, 2023, during the whirlwind process of Jones painting more than 60 portraits for the “Payne-ful” Business: Charleston’s Journey to Truth exhibit featured earlier this year at the City Gallery and for a book by the same name, written by Margaret Seidler. Relating the things he loves most about Johnson, Jones said, “She is beautiful on the inside and out and a joy to be around.”
Johnson, giggling like a teenage girl with a crush, replied, “What I love most about John is that he always holds my hand and people tell me that they feel good just looking at us. He sings to me, and we sing together. It’s never too late. At first I was content being on my own, although I did miss having a companion. I prayed for someone to come, but I didn’t go looking. And that’s when John came back on the scene.”
Room for Two
While waiting for Overture to be built, a 55-plus community for active adults, Cornelia Spitz sold her house on Johns Island and moved to West Ashley to be closer to her two daughters and two grandsons. Enjoying that time with her family and friends, Spitz said she wasn’t looking for a partner. Having grown up in Greenville and lived her entire adult life in Charleston, Spitz had been divorced since 1996.
Then, once she had settled into her new apartment at Overture, Spitz started attending weekly social gatherings in the lobby to meet and get to know her neighbors. On one of these occasions, so many people were there that only one empty seat was left. That’s when a man named Don Petitpain sat down next to her and introduced himself. As they started talking, they learned that they both love to play pickleball.
At the insistence of his three sons and three granddaughters, Petitpain had moved to Charleston from Mississippi after his wife passed away.
After their initial conversation, Spitz and Petitpain went their separate ways. Spitz said that as they lived in separate wings and on different floors of the Overture campus, they lost touch for a few weeks. Then, at another event at Overture, they reconnected, went for a walk and out to dinner. After that, they started visiting each other regularly, cooking every night either at her place or his.
Nearly a year later, they decided to move in together. Logistically, this was a challenge, as when Petitpain moved into his one-bedroom apartment, he brought all of his belongings with him from the three-bedroom house he had sold in Mississippi. As Spitz’s apartment was a small one-bedroom, she didn’t have the space for all his things. After Petitpain purged a good bit, the two consolidated by moving into a two-bedroom.
Although by that time they had talked about getting married, they mutually decided that at 71 and 74 it wasn’t necessary since they had both already been down that path. Having since moved from Overture to an apartment on Bees Ferry, partners Spitz and Petitpain are still very active, enjoying activities like going out to dinner, socializing at the senior center, line dancing, pickleball and driving Petitpain’s RV around the state to campsites in places like Columbia and Myrtle Beach.
Separately, Spitz volunteers in the phlebotomy lab at Roper St. Francis Hospital, while Petitpain volunteers at Charlestowne Landing. They both love spending time with their families.
Me, Myself and I
When it comes to finding love later in life, there is another side to all of this, according to Kathleen Cassels and her neighbor Anne Duncan. And that is self-love.
Fortunate to have already experienced marriage and to have lived a fulfilling life raising children and grandchildren, Cassels said she loves traveling so much that she’s never stayed in one place long enough to get involved in a relationship.
“Plus,” Cassels elaborated, “I’ve always enjoyed my own company anyway, so it’s a gift to not need someone. Being on my own makes life so much more expansive because I get to meet the most fascinating people and experience other cultures in a way that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do if I was part of a couple and it was just the two of us together.”
Cassels added, “We are whole as we are, we have elder wisdom. We do not need someone else to complete us.”
Duncan, who has previously lived and worked as a teacher in France, as well as traveled to Italy and spent time in Morocco on a Fulbright scholarship, agreed with Cassels.
“Circumstances took me out of solitary life. Living in our 55-plus community has given me the opportunity every hour to be surrounded by a group of diverse and intellectually-stimulating friends from all walks of life,” Duncan said. “And I love that I still get to learn and think and grow who I am on my own.”
By Sarah Rose
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