Kjeld and Lotte Preisler were married at 27 and 20 in St. Nicolai Church in Denmark on April 3, 1965.
The two, both artists, started a business together making pottery, and raised four children.
But then they faced some difficult circumstances that threw them for a loop.
Kjeld got cancer, and almost died. Left to care for their home, kids and business, Lotte focused on the most important area (their children), to the detriment of their income.
That would be enough for some families to consider splitting. But as if life and finances weren’t enough of a challenge, their home also burned down and they lost everything.
“That was another really hard blow,” Simon Preisler, the couple’s son, told The Washington Post. “There is a limit to how much people can take and how much hardship they can endure. At some point, the shared pain between them got to be too much, and they decided to part ways.”
By 1989 the two were officially divorced, and they lived apart for two years.
But there was still something between them that all those hardships couldn’t quite squash.
Lotte experienced health issues that kept her confined to a wheelchair, and Kjeld was there for her.
The two stayed close for some time, before the state of the world really made them consider their bond and what it meant to them.
By late March, Kjeld knew what he had to do. The 82-year-old got down on one knee and asked the love of his life to marry him — again.
“Even in my old age, I managed to get back on my feet again after kneeling down,” Kjeld said.
This time there were no crowds attending the celebration.
The couple went back to St. Nicolai Church on April 3, exactly 55 years after their first ceremony, with no one but the priest and Lotte’s sister and brother-in-law attending.
Their children and nine grandchildren participated remotely, watching the service through a Zoom conference from four different countries.
“I’m not a person that usually cries, but this was definitely one of those moments,” Simon said.
Lotte admitted she was affected, too.
“I cried the whole time,” she said. “I was so moved by the ability to mark this occasion during such a difficult time.”
Simon shared photos of the lovebirds on Facebook, and it wasn’t long before the internet fell in love with them and their story.
“Like so many couples around the world my parents (Dad 82 and Mom 75) have been through a lot,” Simon shared on April 3. “Many, many years ago they got divorced during a rough patch in their relationship.
“They lived apart for a few years, but then found back together again and have been living together since,” he added. “[T]his morning they remarried at their local church. True love.”
“Some may have seen my recent post about my parents’ re-marriage,” Simon shared in an update on Monday.
“Their story today made it to The Washington Post. It continues to be the most romantic and wonderful story about true love overcoming adversity.”
“Remember to love! …especially when times are hard!”
For the happily married couple, the decision was a natural one.
“We simply cannot live without each other,” Kjeld said as he gazed upon his wife.
“I couldn’t find myself without her.”
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