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Community Corner

Locals Reminisce About Their "Sweetest"

Lost connections reconnect, and some even encounter vomit on their journey to find love.

Sweetest Day might be seen as an annoying, Hallmark holiday to remember for some, but the third Saturday of every October is meant to be more than just that.

The holiday, which was founded in 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio by candy store owner Herbert Birch Kingston, is a time to celebrate all people who make your life special, according to the Sweetest Day website.  Kingston decided to cheer up shut-ins and orphans by giving them candy and small gifts, and famous actresses Ann Pennington and Theda Bara helped solidify the holiday by giving gifts to hospital patients and theater-goers who had come to see their shows.

Des Plaines locals share their stories of love found and lost, and the oft-satisfying ending.

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  • Marty Devine, 46, met his wife and found love under pretty gross circumstances. With little money as a college student, his first date with his wife was to a bargain showing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When things got serious, he took his wife to his hometown's fair. On the Tilt-A-Whirl ride, Devine's date was turning noticeably green. His instinct? Cup his hands to catch her vomit and keep it from hitting her clothes. Twenty-three years of marriage and three children later, they live in Chicago and try to keep things as, uh, pleasant as necessary.
  • Katie Oleskiewicz, 23, continues to treasure her husband, who she met in high school. Their common love of big families is a good thing, Oleskiewicz says — with her birthday this weekend and their second child due any day, this will be a Sweetest Day to remember.
  • Joe Janisch's 50 years of marriage to his Sweetest came about with a little help from his friends. Janisch, 77, met his wife at club in Michigan. Shy at first, Janisch was slow to follow-up, but with friends' urges, he asked her out on another date, and with four children and 10 grandchildren, they have been together ever since.
  • Liz Miro, 28, found her Sweetest poolside as a lifeguard six years ago. After a couple years of friendship, their relationship developed into something more, but not without some bumps in the road. She said no to his first attempt at asking her out, worried that it would jeopardize their friendship, but after a couple months of reconsideration, she took him up on his offer and they now own a house together in Des Plaines.
  • Distance defines the bittersweet relationship between Rafeal Rodriguez, 35, and a friend who he now considers "a sister." Working as a sales supervisor several years ago, he gave a customer his number in case she had any problems, but she was interested in more than customer service. After a whirlwind relationship in which they lived together for two years, things got tricky when she moved to Canada for school and Rodriguez moved to Chicago for work. For years, they dated long distance, but realized friend status was best. They still talk.
  • Gary Bernacchi, 30, dates his high school sweetheart, but with a twist. Bernacchi hadn't talked to his now-girlfriend for years, but luck, chance and mutual friends brought them together at the Edgewater Lounge in downtown Chicago. Bernacchi claims they "just clicked" and have been together for 2 years.
  • David Goodman, 73, met, and then re-met, the love of his life over the span of decades. As a young man, Goodman married and divorced at a young age. Goodman never remarried, and worked as a professional singer and movie extra in Hollywood. Later, he worked as a truck driver in Chicago, never thinking he'd see his wife again. At 67, he arrived at a party to find, guess who— his ex-wife. They've been living together for the past 6 years. Goodman, a self-proclaimed "lucky guy," sings Tony Bennett songs to her at area Karaoke bars.
  • Shayma Mahsan, 23, got a run for her money at the gym, where she reconnected with a friend from high school. After a date at California Pizza Kitchen, they realized their commonalities and rocky points have contributed to the strength and longevity of their relationship — they've been dating for 1 and one half years.
  • Nicole Torres, 22, spent a long time recovering from a heartbreaking relationship she never thought she'd bounce back from. After being single for two years, she found love "right under her nose" with a friend. It began when he was asking her for date ideas, not knowing that she was the one going on the date. Her significant other had three family members pass away in a short amount of time, and, after several dates and hearing him talk about his family, Torres realized she had met her match.
  • A miscalculation of age brought Hildy Warsewa, 75, and her husband of 54 years together. When she was still in high school, Warsewa begrudgingly went to a family friends' house for a get together and found a treasure — her best friend and future sister-in-law. Initially, she took no interest in her best friend's brother because "he looked younger than he was" (and he still does, according to Warsewa). After finding out that he was 23, not 16, she and her future sister-in-law went on a double date and after many dinner dates and a few driving lessons (Warsewa didn't learn to drive until she was in her 30s), she cemented her relationship with her husband.

Editor's Note: For more Patch local love stories, click here for Northbrook couples and here for Glenview love birds.

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