Amavida, a premier resort retirement living community in Fort Myers, celebrated a milestone on Nov. 15, when two of its residents became the first couple to marry after meeting and falling in love while living at the community.<\/p>\n
Tom Harrington, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and former strategic plans officer at the Pentagon, and Merrily Ray, an interior designer and motivational speaker from Ohio, exchanged vows at Zion Lutheran Church, followed by a reception in one of Amavida\u2019s courtyards.<\/p>\n
Their love story began with an unlikely first encounter: Merrily, who had moved into the apartment directly below Tom\u2019s, took notice of her upstairs neighbor\u2019s early-morning routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw him at lunch that day, and these were my exact words: \u2018Listen, buster, no showers before 6 a.m.,’\u201d Merrily recalled with a laugh.<\/p>\n
That humorous introduction sparked a friendship that blossomed into romance. The couple began meeting for breakfast, served together as resident ambassadors, and attended church with other Amavida residents. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe just started to join each other for breakfast,\u201d Tom explained. \u201cWe were both ambassadors, so we\u2019d see each other at meetings. One thing led to another.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Tom proposed, Merrily was taken by surprise. \u201cHe\u2019s a wonderful man,\u201d she said softly. \u201cI just didn\u2019t think something like this would happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Community Celebration<\/p>\n
The Nov. 15 ceremony generated excitement throughout Amavida, with 77 residents attending the ceremony \u2013 three buses ferried guests to and from the church \u2013 and the reception in one of the community\u2019s courtyards. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even have to announce it,\u201d Tom said. \u201cWord spread like wildfire.\u201d<\/p>\n
The community\u2019s dining staff enthusiastically embraced the celebration. \u201cThere was almost a fight between the servers over who would get to work our reception,\u201d Tom said with a smile.<\/p>\n
Family members traveled from across the country to attend, including Merrily\u2019s two grandsons from Montana, who walked her down the aisle. After the honeymoon, Tom will move into Merrily\u2019s apartment, and the couple will continue their life together at Amavida, along with Dasha, a tailless cat they recently adopted together.<\/p>\n
Breaking New Ground<\/p>\n
While Amavida has married couples in residence, Tom and Merrily are the first to meet, fall in love, and marry while living in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re experimental,\u201d Tom admitted. \u201cWe don\u2019t really know how this will change things. We\u2019re setting an example.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple hopes their story will inspire others. \u201cWe hope there will be other couples who follow us,\u201d Tom said. \u201cWe\u2019re breaking new ground here.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what advice they\u2019d give to others hoping to find companionship later in life, Tom reflects: \u201cJust follow your instincts, because God shows you where to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Merrily described Tom simply: \u201cHe is the most kind Christian that I have met in a long time. And I just love him dearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
About Amavida<\/p>\n
Amavida offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care in a vibrant, resort-style community in Fort Myers, Florida. The community is designed to support residents in living their best lives through exceptional services, engaging programs, inviting amenities, and a welcoming environment where meaningful connections flourish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amavida, a premier resort retirement living community in Fort Myers, celebrated a milestone on Nov. 15, when two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-68896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}