The Fulton Sun continues the "Week of Love," a collection of daily love stories from around Callaway County leading up to Valentine's Day.
Day five: The story of Melinda and George Peterson
How does a person go about relearning to love? How do one move on?
Just ask Melinda Peterson.
Melinda was born in California but moved around as her father was in the Navy. After leaving the service, her father worked for Ameren and settled in Mid-Missouri. Everything was going well for Melinda, until the unthinkable happened.
"About two years ago my husband (Jim) passed away from leukemia," Melinda said. "We were married 31 years, and I was raising my grandson at the time."
While Melinda may always feel the loss of her husband, time moves ever forward. Two years after her tragedy, a ray of hope named George came into her life.
"I met (George) at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Holts Summit," she said. "We hit it off, and he asked me to go out on a date."
Melinda was interested.
"I was raising a 6-year-old at the time, and I really wanted to get an actual adult conversation going," she said.
Getting back into the groove of dating after 33 years took a little time, Melinda said.
"He had been single for about 20 years," she said. "So, it was kind of awkward at first. Our first date was at a little shaved-ice shop in Holts Summit. Then, we went to little places here and there, and we got back in the swing of it again."
Even though Melinda said they were both looking for some kind of relationship, learning to love again after her husband's passing took time.
"Coming to terms with it all, that took a lot of thought and prayer," she said. "The good Lord decided we needed to be back with each other. We needed each other to fill that void."
Melinda and George started dating on Sept. 1. Three months and two days later, they were married.
"It was a simple little wedding at the church," Melinda said, "just the groomsmen and my daughter as a bridesmaid. After that, we went off to Yosemite National Park for a week on our honeymoon."
Melinda said she and George are hopeful for a good, long life together.
"Putting God first, that's what helps make a marriage successful," she said, "that and being honest with each other."
Melinda is a secretary in the vocational building at the Missouri School for the Deaf, and George works in construction.
The Petersons have been married three months.
Correction: In the original version of this story, Melinda Peterson's late husband's name was incorrectly reported but has since been corrected in the text above. The name of Peterson's late husband is Jim Purcell.
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