Love Local: Flagler County residents tell all about their unique love stories

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

You’ve got mail

Laura and Corey Gollon met online as she was living in New York and he was in San Diego, California, in 1993.

“The World Wide Web had not been released to the general population,” Laura said. “There were only 3 major ISPs...Prodigy, CompuServe and AOL. We both were on Prodigy (with dial-up modems) and 'met' on what was called a Bulletin Board. It was a community of people who were suffering from similar medical conditions and were supporting each other in dealing with the disease.”

The pair started emailing each other on July 2, 1993 and were married on June 12, 1994. The Gollons have now lived in Palm Coast for almost 14 years.

For the love of sushi

After her car broke down and her planned road trip failed, Karolina Mucha and her friend decided to go out for sushi to commiserate over their misfortune. That’s when Karolina met Carlos Guilcapi. He sat at a table next to them full of men “laughing over spicy tuna rolls." They were invited to join in the fun, and Karolina and Carlos grew closer over the next few months.

“Every time I drove my beat-up convertible back to Brooklyn, he took me out for sushi,” Karolina said. “He must have eaten hundreds of rolls before I told him that I loved him. That is when he shared the truth with me — he hated sushi!”

They were married soon after and now reside in Palm Coast.

Match made in "Warcraft" heaven

Bryan and Texana Timlin have been married for eight years and together for 10 years. The first six months of their relationship took place solely online through a multiplayer game called World of Warcraft.

“We fell for one another by just spending time together on our characters and hearing one another's voice over a computer application that allowed us to communicate during the game,” Texana said. “We hadn't even known how the other party looked like for a while. He made me wait six months before he would visit me to assure me that he was serious about me.”

Bryan was from Palm Coast, and Texana was living in Tujunga, California as a single mom of a 5-year-old boy.

“He visited me, then came back to Florida to finish his degree, then moved to me six months later to California, got engaged, married, had our daughter and eventually moved here to Palm Coast,” she said.

Oorah for love

In the spring of 2008, Johnny Cozzone met Holleigh Hall while they both worked at Ace Hardware in Palm Coast. Johnny rarely got to interact with Holleigh at work, but she caught his eye. He soon headed off to Paris Island for U.S. Marine Corps boot camp. After that, he started a job as an Aircraft mechanic worker, and two years into his enlistment he was at a Naval Air Station in El Centro, California. He became homesick, and one night after work he logged onto Facebook to see what was happening at home.

“A popup showed Holleigh from Ace Hardware was also logged in,” Johnny said. “So, I wrote to her: ‘Hey it’s Johnny, this and that, miss the old Ace crew, miss home, how have you been?’”

The pair continued talking every night. In 2010, he made a trip home for leave. During the 10-hour drive home from his main base in North Carolina, Johnny stopped to get flowers and a new belt to look sharp for his first date with Holleigh.

“We were marred right here at the Bunnell courthouse Jan. 3, 2012, right before my last deployment,” Johnny said. “I was honorably discharged from the Marines in May 2013, and it has been happily ever after right here in Bunnell ever since!”

Lovebirds will soon return to Flagler Beach

Blake Davis was living in Orlando 14 years ago when he decided to join the Flagler Beach vacation with his parents, their friends and the friends’ adult children. It was there Blake met Laura. When the group was getting ready to all go home, Blake decided he wanted to make Flagler Beach his home.

“I went to Virginia for a two-week visit which turned into a much longer stay,” Blake said. “Seven years and three kids later, I took a job in Myrtle Beach. We visit Florida often, as our oldest is a competitive surfer. Flagler has always been on my mind. Now, seven more years later we decided we are moving to Flagler Beach! It wasn't as soon as I hoped, but it is all coming together. Summer 2018 cannot get here soon enough.”

In sickness and in health

Liz Sherman and William Taylor have been together for five years. After meeting at Matanzas High School, the two went on one date, which didn’t really work out.

When Taylor was heading off to college, he revealed his feelings to her and they started dating soon after. A few years into their relationship, Sherman was struck by a car while walking home on the shoulder of Lakeview Boulevard in Palm Coast the night of March 2, 2017.

“Back in March, when the accident happened, he was looking at rings and planning on proposing,” Sherman said. “When I was in a coma, he was telling everyone that I was his fiancé. Then, when I woke up, this time in Gainesville (hospital), he asked me if I would marry him. I couldn't talk, but wrote "yes" on my dry erase board. He didn't give me a ring because I was still in the hospital. I got out of Brooks Rehab in May, and we were going out to breakfast. I was still in a wheelchair and he was kneeling down after he had helped me in the car. I asked him what was wrong and he said his knees hurt. He injured them skiing, so I looked away, not thinking much of it. I looked back over, about to suggest that he go back inside and take Tylenol, when he was on one knee with the ring in his hand. I said yes, and he put the ring on my finger. We have faced the biggest struggles with this accident! He never gave up on me! He had faith in me! I'm still alive, and we are due to get married June 2nd, 2018!”

College sweethearts

After graduating from Flagler Palm Coast High School in 1998, Theary Kes was sent to a private college in North Georgia instead of cosmetology school like she wanted.

“Little did I know, my best friend and partner in life was attending this college for a year already,” she said.

One day in college, when Theary was about to give up hope and call her parents to come home, she sat in the school cafeteria with her older cousin, who was also a student. Jared Ritter walked up, and her cousin introduced them. She said he saw how sad she was that day and asked her if she was OK. He wanted to help her get her grades up, and the two become friends. They shared their first kiss, and by Theary’s junior year of college, Jared insisted that they get married.

“I didn’t know how to respond — how my parents would react,” she said. “In the Cambodian culture, you have to get approval from the parents first, so I said no. Because of that we broke up. But it didn’t last long.”

The couple got married on Nov. 27, 1999, and now live in Palm Coast.

Blind date gone right

Jay and Rebekah Brennan met in Jacksonville Beach in 2001 when they were set up for a blind dinner date. After dinner, they took a walk on the beach under a moonlit sky.

“If it wasn’t love at first sight, it was certainly falling in love on the first night,” Jay said. “I remember nervously asking her for her phone number. She was without a doubt out of my league. But I couldn’t let the girl of my dreams leave without at least trying.”

On their one-year anniversary, Jay proposed on the same beach they walked on during their first date.

“After 17 years of companionship, 15 years or marriage and three amazing children, Rebekah is even more my Valentine now than ever,” Jay said.

The Brennans live in Palm Coast, and Jay works for the Ormond Beach Police Department.

70 years of love

Evelyn and Richard Birdsall have lived in Palm Coast for 38 years. The pair just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. They are both retired teachers and have known each other since they attended the same high school.