Love Story: Janet and Brian Fullan, Wantagh

Janet and Brian Fullan of Wantagh discovered they had more in common than first expected. Brian recalls how they met.

Janet and I were introduced on July 16, 2010. A mutual friend arranged for me to meet him, his wife and Janet outside the Salsa Shack, an open-air venue at Tobay Beach. I was immediately taken by Janet's simple elegance and beauty. After quick introductions we went over to a table where, unbeknownst to me, there were about eight more of their friends joining our party. They had gathered to give Janet some moral support. I thought, "How am I ever going to get a passing grade from all these judges?"

It turned out to be a fun time, and as the evening progressed, I learned that Janet's beauty ran very deep. She was kind and sweet and we had a lot in common. She was 50 and I was 51. We both had two children in their early 20s and, unfortunately, we had both lost spouses to cancer after 25 years of marriage. Our mutual friend knew my beloved wife, Nancy, who died in 2009, and Janet's beloved husband, Paul, who died in 2006. Her husband was a bank auditor. I am an auditor with an international bank in Manhattan.

We planned a dinner date -- just the two of us this time -- for the following week. On the drive to the restaurant, we discovered something incredible. Janet, who is now an office manager for a Long Island real estate developer, had worked with Paul in 1983 at Richmond Hill Savings Bank in Floral Park. It turns out that I had worked under Paul at that bank for six months, also in 1983. Looking back, we both realized that he had briefly introduced us during that time; we were shocked. We don't remember what we ate for dinner that night, but neither of us will ever forget that moment, or that evening.

As our friendship grew, we just couldn't deny the connection. With the love, respect and encouragement from our children, family and friends, we continued to build a beautiful, loving romance and began learning to enjoy life again and share our happiness with everyone.

On June 24, 2013, we were married on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was just the two of us at the ceremony, and when we returned, we celebrated with family and friends at a party July 12 at The Crescent Beach Club in Bayville.

We both acknowledge the strong connection that seems extraordinary. It's as if we were put together by two special guardian angels, looking to repay us for our undying love for them. We know just how precious life is, and that we wouldn't be able to enjoy our special and loving happiness without the love and experiences we learned from our first spouses.

We consider ourselves very lucky to truly enjoy life again.