David and Patricia Van Dyke have been married for 72 years. Julia Maruca/Butler Eagle

EAST BUTLER -- When Patricia Van Dyke attended a birthday party with a friend almost three-quarters of a century ago, she certainly didn’t expect to meet the love of her life.

“(My friend) said, come on, we’re going to go to Connoquenessing for a birthday party,” she said. “We went out, and I met him there, and that was 73 years ago.”

Patricia, 93, and her husband David Van Dyke, 97, celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary at a gathering on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Anna Marie's Winery & Cafe in East Butler.

The couple have been married since October 28, 1950, and hoped to celebrate their 70th anniversary two years ago, but found their plans stymied by COVID.

“We had to wait this long, and we decided it can’t wait any longer,“ David said.