Childhood sweethearts who made a pact to marry each other if they were both still single at 50 followed through on their promise.
Ron Palmer, 54, and Kimberley Dean, 52, of St Paul, Minnesota, dated for over a year in high school but went their separate ways after Ron graduated in the summer of 1981.
The couple kept in contact but went on to marry other people, with Kimberley having two children, Kayla, 30, and Konner, 23.
Both of their marriages ended in divorce and the couple met up again in 1998 to talk about their heartache. At the meeting the pair, then in their 30s, jokingly suggested that they should marry each other if they were both still single at 50.
After once again going their separate ways, Ron and Kimberley reconnected in 2016 and decided to give their relationship another try.
True love: Ron Palmer, 54, and Kimberley Dean, 52, of St Paul, Minnesota, tied the knot in June this year – 37 years after their high school romance came to an end when Ron graduated
Childhood sweethearts: Ron and Kimberley dated for over a year before splitting in 1981
On December 31 2017 – 36 years after they first broke up and just over a year after their ‘second first date – Ron proposed.
The couple tied the knot earlier this month at a park in the neighbourhood where they grew up, honouring their pact.
Kimberley, a youth enrichment worker, said: ‘It’s almost surreal that after all these years we’re finally together – we’re so happy.
‘I think our friends and family were both surprised, but also not surprised when the news leaked that we were seeing each other again.
Young love: The couple, pictured in their youth, kept in touch even after they broke up
Close: Ron and Kimberley wrote to each other every few months even after marrying other people
Pact: After reconnecting in 1998, when they were both in their 30s, Ron and Kimberley jokingly suggested they should marry each other if they were both single at 50
‘We kept in contact of what was going in each other’s lives from family, to relationships, job changes and about my kids.
‘During one of those talks about 20 years ago, we were speaking about retirement when Ron joked he’d have nobody to leave his things to. I jokingly said he could leave them to me. At the time we were both pretty tired of dating.
‘I jokingly suggested we should get married if we were both single at 50, but this was just a joke – we never considered it seriously.
‘I think I speak for Ron as well when I say we always knew there was something between us. We knew we were supposed to be together from the first-time we met.’
After the end of their high school romance the pair kept in touch and rarely went a few months without writing.
The stars finally aligned in the summer of 2016 when Kimberley and Ron were both single.
The couple decided to start dating in that September. A few months later they recalled the conversation about marrying at 50 that they had had nearly two decades earlier.
Back to their roots: The couple married in a park near to where they both grew up
New adventures: Ron and Kimberley, pictured on their wedding day, are looking forward to what the future may hold
Kimberley said: ‘It was sometime last year that I remembered the pact for some reason. We weren’t even engaged at the time.
‘We wanted to take things very slow, as we had both been through so much in our past relationships, we didn’t want to lose each other too.’
Ron proposed in a snow-clad Minnesota state park on New Year’s Eve 2017.
Kimberley added: ‘I think we will always be frustrated that we didn’t get together sooner, but we both believe this is the way it was supposed to be.
‘We got married in a park we both grew up near and live by still. We kept everything about our wedding very close to us and where we started.
Right timing: The couple started dating again when they both became single in 2016
‘Right now we are still learning things about one another and looking forward to what the future may hold.
‘We’ve thought about what would happen if we did get married when we were younger.
‘We don’t have the answer but I think we both agree we’d go through all of it again to get to where we are now – together.’