GEORGE TOWN: When Cupid took a shot at them, there was no escape as loves has no age limit.

       The story began when Kathleen Dielenberg, 83, started staying at a private nursing home in Bayan Lepas whenever her son had to go to Singapore for work.

       She would be lonely and homesick. And this was made worse when the pandemic struck and movement restrictions were enforced.

       About three months ago, she met Paul Chew Chooi Hin, 81, who was also staying at the home.

       One day, a sad Dielenberg told Chew how much she wished she could go home.

       Chew, who was more upbeat, told her if they could build a home there, then they would no need to think of somewhere else as home.

       That led to days of laughter and long conversations.

       Eventually, they told the nursing home’s co-founder Tan Soo Siang that they had decided to get married.

       “We took around 10 days to plan the wedding and it was celebrated with another 19 residents and the caretakers.

       “It was a simple yet happy occasion for everyone,” said Tan, 33.

       Tan said they accompanied Chew in the walk to Dielenberg’s room to take her to the lobby area for the cake-cutting ceremony.

       “All the other residents were so happy for them. Throughout the movement control order, our residents had been quite depressed as they couldn’t see their friends and families for months.

       “So, the celebration cheered everyone up.”

       She said all of them wore their best clothes and were excited for the bride and bridegroom.

       The couple exchanged vows, promising “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

       Tan said Chew lost his wife a few years ago while Dielenberg’s husband left her when her son was just a year old.

       “Dielenberg has been a single mother until she met Chew.

       “Their children are happy that their parents could find love at their age and gave their blessings,” she said, adding that Chew has four sons who are all abroad.

       She said they had no objections to the marriage as long as their parents are happy.

       The wedding, she said, was attended by Dielenberg’s son and two family members from Chew’s side.

       “The rest attended via Zoom,” she said.