Marriage Seals Love Of Decades-Old Friendship He’s 91. She’s 84. They Finally Tie The Knot After Dating Since 1977

Lee Becker, 91, stood up at Thanksgiving dinner and delivered some shocking news.

“We thought he was going to say a prayer,” recalled a granddaughter-in-law. “And then we were all looking at each other, like, ‘Did he just say what I thought he said?”’ “Then, somebody just said, ‘Would someone please pass the potatoes?’ It was a scream,” she added.

Family members aren’t sure why they were surprised; they had waited 20 years to hear the announcement.

And a few weeks later, it finally happened. Lee Becker married his sister-in-law, Velma Becker, 84.

The two have been inseparable since 1977, when Harvey Becker, Velma’s first husband and Lee’s brother, died of Parkinson’s disease.

Two years earlier, Lee’s wife and Velma’s sister, Ida Becker, had died of a heart attack.

Lee and Ida married in 1930; Harvey and Velma in 1932. The couples lived two blocks from each other in Shelton, Wash.

When Ida died in 1975, Lee was lost.

“Nothing you could eat tasted right,” he said.

Then, his brother became ill.

“Before he passed away, he asked if I would take care of her,” Lee explained, nodding toward his bride.

“At the time, I was mad,” Velma said, smiling. “I thought nobody should tell anyone else something like that.”

“I was pretty willing,” Lee said.

So the two settled into a routine.

They went to church together. Paid bills together. Sunday evenings meant Lee would drive Velma out of town for a nice dinner. On holidays they would show up at relative’s homes together. Five months ago, Velma sold her home in Shelton and moved to Vancouver to be near Harv Becker, her only son.

Once again, Lee was lost.

He went to church alone. He thought about Velma. Velma thought about him. Lee prayed, and the solution came to him.

On Thanksgiving, everyone gathered in Tacoma at the home of one of Lee’s daughters.

Lee pulled Velma aside early in the afternoon to pop the question.

“I was dumbfounded,” she said. “And he said he needed to know right away.”

“Well,” interjected Lee. “I wanted to tell them before dinner.”

On Dec. 14, generations down to great-grandchildren gathered in Harv Becker’s Northeast Hazel Dell home to watch the ceremony, which was performed by Ed Becker, Velma’s grandson.

Lee didn’t wait for the “and you may kiss the bride” part to lean down and plant one on Velma’s lips. And another. And another.

Family members were beaming at the ceremony.

“They were apart for five months and couldn’t stand it,” said Olive Vincent, the daughter who hosted the Thanksgiving dinner. “They just couldn’t live without each other.”