WWII Vet Gilbert Herrick Marries for First Time, at 99

Gilbert Herrick, 99, just got married - for the very first time.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on June 24 2011

Gilbert Herrick grew up as the oldest of seven children in Rochester, New York, and served in World War II before spending 30 years as a postal worker. In all those years, he remained a bachelor.

But that all changed last year, when an 86-year-old widow named Virginia Hartman moved into Herrick’s assisted-living facility. Herrick, then 98, was instantly smitten.

“I started visiting her every day,” Herrick told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “I thought she would kick me out.”

Luckily for him, she was just as in love as he was. Soon, things progressed, and they wanted to share a room. But under the facility’s regulations, that was only an option if the couple got married. So on June 6th, that’s just what they did.

Virginia’s five children, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren all helped the couple prepare for the wedding, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. The ceremony was a long time coming for Gilbert, but he doesn’t regret waiting for the woman of his dreams.

“I never met the right woman until I met Virginia,” he said.

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