Widow and widower tie knot after finding love in Texas Health Cleburne’s senior exercise class

CLEBURNE, Texas - The free senior exercise class notice posted by Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne encourages senior citizens to attend and "Find your perfect fit!"

Two participants, however, found a little something extra - their perfect match.

Over months of stretching, lifting weights and doing lunges, a close friendship developed, and then romance blossomed between Joe Craig, 73, and Jill Goodgion, 71.

Last month, the two were married at the Cleburne Bible Church. They credit the exercise classes with not only improving their health but leading them to love.

"If it hadn't been for the exercise class, I don't know if we would have ever really gotten together," Joe said.

The classes, part of the hospital's community wellness program, are held eight times a week at locations throughout Cleburne and Keene. Christopher Leu, president of Texas Health Cleburne, said the classes are one way that Texas Health is carrying out its Mission to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves.

"We wanted to provide senior citizens in the Cleburne area a way to stay active and healthy but are thrilled that this couple also got an added benefit - love," Leu said. "Exercise is good for the body, mind and, as the Craigs certainly exemplify, the heart as well."

Joe learned about the exercise class from Jill in February, after he took a seat by her - the last one available - at a church fellowship event, and the two struck up a conversation. A recent widower, the Air Force veteran admitted he found it a challenge to meet new people. He decided he could use some exercise and would enjoy attending a class with his new acquaintance.

"The first two days that I went to the exercise class, she wasn't there, so it was just me and 25 women. No pressure," Joe recalled, laughing. "I talked to some of them, and they have been doing this for 10 years. They're jumping all over the place and I'm trying to keep up."

By his third class, Jill was back, and before long, the two were regularly talking and sometimes going to lunch together after class.

Both insisted it would go no further.

"I said I would not get married again and she said she was happy with her single life, and I respected that," Joe said. "So, it was just like we were going to be pals and go to lunch and maybe catch a movie or something... We started hanging out more and more and, all of a sudden, it turned into more than pals."

Like the plot of any good Hallmark movie, the two initially tried to resist their feelings.

"I said, 'OK, let's decide to stay away from each other for a period and see how we feel," Joe remembered. "We did that like three times. It never worked."

So, they gave in and started dating.

"We would talk for hours. I kept looking for red flags, she kept looking for red flags, but we were so compatible," Joe said.

Jill called it wonderful to find someone "who has the courage to share the joys of life."

"Having been a widow for seven years, I think I had forgotten how good it felt to be loved by a man, especially one who loves God also," Jill said. "It seems like each time I would have a question about our relationship, I would give it to God and God would let me see that quality in him."

Perla Dennis, a fitness instructor for the senior exercise classes, was among those who suspected the couple had found something beyond health benefits. "I could tell that there was something more than just friendship," Dennis said. "I thought, 'There's something going on with these two.' We were so glad for them."

On Aug. 29, Joe arrived at Jill's house with roses and a question.

"I got down on one knee. I thought, 'I'm going to try this, but I don't know if I can get back up,'" he said. "I said, 'Jill, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?' and she said yes."

The two tied the knot Nov. 9 and now reside in Sand Flat with their cat, Missy. Both credit the exercise class - which they regularly attend four or five days a week - with strengthening their bond.

"I kept saying, 'If we keep seeing each other this often, you're going to get tired of me,' but she never did," Joe said. "It's a God thing," chimed in Jill, now known as Jill Craig. "He knows what we need even before we ask."

To learn more about the senior exercise classes, contact Texas Health Cleburne Community Outreach at 817-556-5479.

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