In the history of love stories, few weave together as beautifully as that of Joanne Blakkan and Bill Hassinger, high school sweethearts who decades later finally found their way back to each other. Their journey was marked by twists of fate. And a trip or two to the principal’s office.

Bill and Joanne were sent to the principal’s office for smooching on the bus, and more than 70 years later, they’ve picked up from where they started. “Believe it or not, we’re in love at our age,” said Joanne, 92. “I want his hugs and kisses and he feels the same way.”

It’s just like when we were teenagers.”

Their story began in Michigan in the 1940s, where Joanne and Bill, then teenagers, first crossed paths. Bill fondly recalls their initial encounter on a school bus, noting, “I wasn’t old enough to have a driver’s license, so I didn’t have a car. That’s what attracted me to her… she had a car.” Joanne, a drum majorette at the time, certainly left a lasting impression.

Bill Hassinger and Joanne Blakkan. Photo courtesy of Joanne Blakkan

Their young love blossomed and they attended their school’s prom together. However, as life often does, circumstances led them down different paths. Joanne went off to college at Michigan State, while Bill pursued his own journey, eventually serving in the Korean War and then forging a career in law enforcement.

Decades passed, and both found happiness in marriage and family. But fate had other plans. In 2022, as Joanne, a widower, was reconnecting with old classmates for a reunion, she couldn’t shake the memories of her high school sweetheart. “We went our separate ways,” Joanne said. “I had lived alone all this time, and I certainly wasn’t looking for love or a man. I was content. But he was always in the back of my mind.”

I loved that young boy.”

With the help of her daughter, Linda, they embarked on a search that led them to Bill, now a widower residing just 80 miles away. Their reunion, over lunch in September 2022, sparked a flame that had never truly extinguished. “Our feelings for each other just came right back,” Joanne said, while Bill joked, “I forgot who she was. No, that’s not true… I thought, well that’s interesting, I’ll get together, so I called her and told her I’d be down.”

Bill Hassinger fell in love with the high school majorette. Photo courtesy of Joanne Blakkan

Their families, initially surprised by the rapid rekindling, soon found joy in witnessing their happiness. “Seeing them so happy together brings joy into our families’ lives,” Linda said.Now, in their golden years, Joanne and Bill are savoring every moment together. Weekends are filled with laughter, card games, and cherished companionship.

As they contemplate their future, they dream of a life spent side by side, whether in one home or a retirement complex. “No one knows how much time you have,” Joanne said. “Both of us are in reasonably good health for our age and mentally alert. So we want to enjoy our time here.” Watch below to see these two lovebirds talk about how they found each other all over again.

Sources: People | 23ABC