We’re Getting Married!

Glenn and Deniece first knew each other as children when they lived in the small town of Appleton, and attended first-seventh grades together in Hector, Arkansas. Although neither remembers that initial face-to-face meeting, both agree it was probably on a school bus ride from Appleton to Hector. Glenn had a crush on Deniece throughout those early years, which he made very evident during their 6th grade year. He would often try to sit by her on the bus. Deniece was embarrassed to have a boy pursuing her in this way, so she often recruited one of her many cousins to sit by her on the bus to dissuade him. Glenn and Deniece shared a lot of the same teachers and cherish a lot of the same memories. A favorite is 5th grade teacher Billy Blalack reading Jack Tales at the end of every school day. Deniece remembers Glenn as the smartest boy in the class and being jealous of how many books he read each week in 6th grade. After 7th grade, Deniece’s family moved to Plainview, Arkansas. Glenn and Deniece would bump into each other again when they worked together at Tyson on Tyler Road for a couple of years while both were attending Arkansas Tech University. But by 1988 both had each gone their separate ways. They would not meet again for 34 years. The Hector High School Class of 1982 held their 40-year reunion at the end of September 2022. They met at the Hector Park for a picnic where they would reconnect and renew friendships. Deniece walked up to Glenn and said, “It’s been a few years.” This was followed by a short conversation about working together at Tyler Road in the 80s. Glenn recalls Deniece smiling at him and says he was smitten from that moment on. After the park festivities, the classmates attended the high school football game together. By sheer happenstance and because of lack of available seats, Glenn and Deniece ended up sitting next to each other. They shared some of their life experiences as they watched the game. Glenn shared that he had worn a Tony the Tiger costume at an event at some point in his life. Deniece revealed that she had been Winnie the Pooh during her days of working for Sears. Deniece felt a bit of a connection but attributed it to the history they shared. She initially did not think she was interested in Glenn. But he was definitely interested. The following day was more reunion, but the couple really didn’t interact much that day. Later that afternoon, Glenn sent Deniece a Facebook message with a picture of him as Tony the Tiger. They started messaging and texting every day and discovered they had much in common and developed an amazing connection. They planned a hike to Cedar Falls at the beginning of November. But after two weeks of texting, they agreed they couldn’t wait that long. Glenn asked Deniece to go to dinner and a movie the following weekend. October 15th was their official first date and they both realized this was the beginning of something absolutely wonderful. Glenn started a tradition of sending Deniece a love song every morning. Two of the songs that resonated with her early on were The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie and My Eyes Adored You by Frankie Valli. Their playlist has over 200 songs and continues to grow every day. Deniece continues to live in Appleton and Glenn works and lives in Fayetteville in northern Arkansas. They spend almost every weekend together and enjoy traveling and attending various events together. The wedding ceremony will be at the Appleton Presbyterian Church with a reception following at the Appleton Community Center. The happy couple feels extremely blessed and each believes they are the lucky one to have found the other. They are truly grateful to God for connecting them after all these years. They would like to thank you for reading their story and hope it is inspirational. A special thank you to the Hector class of 1982, especially to those who organized the 40-year reunion!