Elderly Couple Got Married at HDB Lift Lobby After Dating for 40 Years

Last Updated on 2023-03-10 , 4:02 pm

While you and your partner were deciding how many grand to drop on your fancy hotel wedding, an elderly couple has tied the knot in a quaint ceremony at the HDB Lift of the block they both stay at.

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mrs Goh had first met her husband as an employee of his wholesale fish ball and fish cake business.

While they had both divorced their ex-spouses by that point, they decided to give their love a shot and eventually moved in together after falling deeply in love with each other. They’ve been together for 40 years since.

Why Marriage Never Crossed their Minds till Now

When interviewed, Mrs Goh had said that marriage was just not something on their minds given that they were both busy with the demands of life.

However, they had a change of heart when Mr Goh was diagnosed with lung cancer in May of this year.

The couple had previously spent 20 years in Cambodia, opening a Chinese restaurant and building a life there together. They moved back five or six years ago after Mr Goh’s health condition had declined. While currently waiting to go for chemotherapy to treat his illness, Mr Goh was asked if he had any wishes he’d like to fulfil.

He said he just wanted to marry his wife and leave happy memories for her.

Aww.

Been With Each Other Through Thick and Thin

Though he claimed that the past few years had been relatively uneventful for the pair, they made sure to care for each other when either party was sick, or feeling down.

Sacrifices have also been made on both ends over the years. For instance, Mrs Goh had previously pawned S$20,000 of her jewellery in order to move to Cambodia with Mr Goh to start their restaurant business, against her sister’s initial objection.

And while marriage may have been the conventional choice for their generation, they still vowed to continually support each other in their own endeavours despite not being legally wed.

A Simple, but Meaningful Ceremony

The intimate affair was witnessed by a small group of people closest to the long-term couple. This included their children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and neighbours. Mr Goh’s medical social workers were also present to celebrate the couple’s happy occasion as well.

As Ambulance Wish, a Singapore-based organisation dedicated to granting the wishes of terminally ill patients shared on Facebook, the couple had tied the knot at a lift lobby outside of their apartment on 7 July.

Another Couple From Across The Globe Went Through a Similar Experience

Back in 2019, a similar story of a couple aged 83 and 77 from Montana USA emerged, where David, the groom, popped the question to his then girlfriend Carolyn after being together for 35 years and living in “unmarried bliss”.

What pushed him to make things official was also similarly, because Carolyn had suffered a stroke.

During their simple but heart-warming ceremony held at a Health Hospice Home, David wore a rented tux while Carolyn’s dress was donated by a local shop.

Sometimes, love is all you really need.