Carol Harris and George Raynes grew up in the small town of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and met in 1936 in the first grade. Two years later, Harris was cast as the “Beauty” and Raynes as the “Prince” in the third grade production of “Sleeping Beauty” during which they caught their first kiss.
The pair remained friends throughout high school (although they were never romantically involved), and when Raynes’s family moved away in 1948, the two built separate lives: Raynes embarked on a career at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, married, and had three sons. Harris stayed in Saint John and became a teacher — a position she held for 38 years — and though she had a few boyfriends over the years, she never married.
“While other friends accepted being single, I never did,” Harris admits. After Raynes’ wife of 61 years died, he came back to Saint John for a visit, and he and Harris fell in love. To wit, after a whirlwind courtship, Raynes proposed on Aug. 20 and the 83 year old couple got married last weekend in Saint John, in front of friends and family in a ceremony they both describe as “joyous.”
Here’s Carol’s advice on finding love late in life; “For anyone who wants to get married, don’t give up. It’s such fun to have someone to go hand-in-hand with.” She added, “I can’t help but think … that my Prince from Grade 3 has finally come home to stay.”
