Ben’s stepmother, Mary Ann, worked with Claire for several months at the local hospital which ultimately led to a blind date setup on June 5, 2021. After hearing dozens of stories about Ben’s cheapness, lack of cooking experience, and hatred of fine dining, Claire was no doubt intrigued. Ben reluctantly agreed to call Claire as he was certain this was another of Mary Ann’s devious blind date pranks. However what followed was an instant connection and bewilderment on all sides as paparazzi swarmed the new couple. The Journal Gazette famously printed an all black front page bemoaning the end of “Fort Wayne’s Most Eligible Bachelor”

We are delighted to have you join us in a celebration of our love and family. June 3 is a date that we are excited to cement as our anniversary, as it also celebrates the marriage of Claire’s grandparents on June 3, 1950.