Never too late: Local couples show there is no age limit on love

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Jack Eckenrode and Eleanor Meerdo stand behind a wedding photo in their Smith Township home.

Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter

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Bernie and Jo Ann Van Briggle stand in front of their garage in North Franklin Township. Bernie made the sign hanging on the door in 2008 to direct guests to their wedding.

Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter

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Whether you find yourself back on the dating scene in middle age, or a widow after 60 years of marriage, these Washington County couples show that love blooms eternal.

Eleanor Meerdo, 83, and Jack Eckenrode, 96, were married on April 30, 2022, after first meeting in 2019.

Meerdo and her husband, George Meerdo, lived together on Lincoln Street in Smith Township. They also owned the property directly across the street, which is right along the Panhandle Trail.

“It started when his daughter, Sue, put a letter out to all the neighbors around here looking for property on the bike trail, and I happened to have the property that I sold to Jack,” Meerdo said.

Eckenrode and his wife, Margaret Eckenrode, were both avid bikers and participants in the bi-annual National Senior Olympics. They were drawn to the property’s easy access to the trail.

Eckenrode explained that previously, they had been living on a farm in Greene County.

“I did a lot of biking my whole life, and then we were down at the farm. We were in the country, doing a lot of biking. That’s when we joined the Senior Olympics,” Jack said.

Meerdo was hesitant to sell the property, but her husband, who was in poor health at the time, said they may as well.

Unfortunately, both Meerdo and Eckenrode would lose their spouses not long after the sale was finalized. On May 16, 2020, Margaret died at the age of 91 after 67 years of marriage with Eckenrode. George died just months later on July 27. He was 82, and had been married to Meerdo for 61 years.

Both Meerdo and Eckenrode struggled with grief, and their relationship grew as they confided in each other.

“It was pretty rough for both of us, but I did not want to get married. I said no more marriages for me,” Meerdo said.

That attitude changed as they continued to get closer, however. Each day, they were checking in to make sure the other was holding up OK.

“If I opened the blinds I’d look over at this bedroom. If he had his open, then I knew he was OK, and he did the same with me. If they weren’t open then he’d come check on me or I’d go check on him,” Meerdo said.

A devout Catholic, Eckenrode wouldn’t move across the street unless they were married. Eckenrode explained it was important to him to continue setting the example for his 12 children.

“It just happened. We said God put us together. We know it was, or else our spouses put us together. He was very religious, and he got me there now too,” Meerdo said.

The two share a mutual love of music, which helped bring them together. A sign hangs in their kitchen that reads, “Life is short, dance in the kitchen,” and it is not there just for decoration.

“He liked to dance, and I like dancing. We both love music … He likes big bands, and I got used to that. I like country, and he got used to mine,” Meerdo said, pointing toward the sign. “That’s what we used to do every morning.”

Starting the day by grooving in the kitchen is just one example of the very active lifestyle that Meerdo and Eckenrode share. A space in their home displays the myriad medals Eckenrode and his first wife earned traveling across the country to compete in the Senior Olympics.

The two of them are in good health and are frequently going out, whether to enjoy a night of music in Pittsburgh or just to socialize at the Canonsburg Senior Center.

“So far, we’ve been lucky on the health side of it. I think mentally it helps both of us to socialize as much as we can. We do a lot of things together,” Eckenrode said.

Meerdo and Eckenrode also spend their Fridays volunteering for Meals on Wheels.

“She drives and I drive. That’s important. We don’t drive real fast,” Eckenrode said.

Both admit their marriage was not an easy sell to their families, and that relatives from both sides were initially opposed to the idea at their age. Eckenrode put it simply, “We wanted to get married. Period. Didn’t care about anybody else.”

“We both said we loved each other, and I don’t care if we have one day, or one month, or one year, or whatever. We’re going to get married,” Meerdo said.

Missed connections

While Meerdo and Eckenrode did not find each other until later in life, Bernie and Jo Ann Van Briggle unknowingly crossed paths during childhood.

The Van Briggles tied the knot on Valentine’s Day 2008, and today celebrate 16 years of marriage. They live together in Bernie’s childhood home in North Franklin Township

Bernie and Jo Ann both had been divorced for several years before connecting on Match.com in 2007. When they met for lunch at the now-closed Garfield’s Restaurant in Washington Crown Center, they discovered they had probably already met.

“We got to talking that I went to North Franklin grade school, and she said, ‘Well I went to North Franklin in first grade, also,'” Bernie said.

Jo Ann added that it started to click as Bernie rattled through the names of classmates.

“I said, ‘Well I’m friends with her. I know him. I remember that one,'” Jo Ann said.

Jo Ann moved during first grade and started attending Lone Pine Elementary School. She would later graduate from Washington High School, while Bernie graduated from Trinity High School.

They also learned that both had been born in Washington, just 12 days apart.

Both were committed members of their churches, which helped them connect.

“That was the one thing that actually attracted me to her,” Bernie said.

Getting back into the dating scene during middle age was “kind of scary,” Jo Ann said. She and Bernie both experienced some pitfalls before they found each other.

“Some of the people I met were, like she said, the word ‘scary.’ There were a few I actually ran from,” Bernie said.

“Me, too,” Jo Ann added. “He ended up being a stalker … He just showed up at functions that I was at, and I was like, how did you know about this?”

Bernie said after multiple years of trying to meet someone, he had begun to get discouraged.

“Some of the people I met, they had way too much baggage for me to want to deal with. I dealt with a lot of rejection, too,” Bernie said.

When it comes to dating in your midlife or beyond, the Van Briggles recommend caution and patience.

“And don’t jump into something. Just take your time,” Bernie said.

Jo Ann added: “Be prayerful about it. Because if it’s the right one, it’ll be the right one.”