PARMA, Ohio — Young and in love.

“And I have a ring to prove it," Julia Varley said with laughter.

Warren Barber turns 94 this weekend. His fiancé, Varley, is 77.

 

What You Need To Know

  • In Ohio, those age 75 and older currently have access to the COVID-19 vaccine

  • By Feb. 1, people 70 and older will be eligible and on Feb. 8, the vaccine will be available to those 65 and older

  • The Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging in Cleveland and 2-1-1 have several resources available to seniors who need help navigating the COVID-19 vaccine process


“What it feels like in these six years that we’ve known each other is that we’ve almost gone through a whole lifetime together. You know, we were like teenagers when we met. But now, six years late,r we’re just comfortable and fortunately, we’ve had each other during this horrible year,” said Varley.

The couple met through a support group at a senior center in Parma.

Both are widows.

“I had a fantastic 69 years of marriage. Three children. Great life. But I’ve had more fun and enjoyed the last six years than I ever did before — really. It’s been unbelievable what this lady has done for me,” said Barber.

 


He said it took a little while, but eventually, Barber worked up the courage to ask her out.

“I had not been on a date for 80 years or something like that, if ever. So, I put on my best suit and tie. Bought candy. Bought flowers. Never had done that,” he said.

They love to travel and are extremely active in the senior center. These two even hosted their engagement party there a few years ago.

At this stage of their life, they don’t have plans to get married.

But they’ve already lived through sickness and health.

Just before Thanksgiving, Barber contracted COVID-19. His symptoms were so severe, he was hospitalized.

Not being able to have any visitors was horrible.

“I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again. He really was failing that bad," said Varley.

Then, Varley tested positive for the virus.

“It’s just too dangerous. You don’t want to get it, believe me,” she said.

Both feel better now, but the effects are lingering.

Last week, Barber said he was thrilled to get his first dose of the Pfizer​ COVID-19 vaccine at Discount Drug Mart.

“I’m fortunate in my life I’ve had a lot of shots and none have ever bothered me. I’ve had no reaction, no anything, except I hope good times,” said Barber.

Varley is eagerly awaiting her turn.

“We lived through the Polio vaccine. You know, and so we know how important getting the vaccine is and if we accomplish nothing else it’s getting the word out to people that they really need to get vaccinated. It just helps everybody,” said Varley.

Time counts and they want to be healthy for each other.

“You know this has been hard because we feel like we’ve lost a year," said Varley. “Maybe more,” replied Barber. “Maybe more. Right. I think a lot of people feel that way.”



The pair hopes everyone will do their part and get the shot so they can live out their days together in their own happily ever after.

“We hope to someday go back to our prior life which meant a lot of travel. We’d still like to do that," said Barber.

The Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging in Cleveland and 2-1-1 have several resources available to seniors who need help navigating the COVID-19 vaccine process.

“The biggest takeaway is just a little bit of patience. We will get the vaccine out there. We can only give the vaccine to who we have. We have constraints around how long that vaccine can be out, and a lot of it is who can get there first. So, we're going to try our best to get information and education out so that the right groups can get to those vaccine sites. And then there's got to be some flexibility to acknowledge that not everybody is going to be able to show up, and it's better to get those vaccines in arms than let it go to waste," said Mary Lipovan. She is the Director of Culture Change, Special Projects, New Lines of Business, Transition Care Coordination and Public Health Advocacy at the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.