Win a Mino HD Flip Video Camera by sharing your "How We Met" story on Spectrum's Facebook wall. |
Phyllis Hartzler and Marv Berger
A Spectrum Generations
"How We Met" Love Story
"Marv likes to tell the story that
he picked me up for 20 bucks."
~ Phyllis Hartzlet
February has long since been the month of romance, and the holiday that celebrates love. Phyllis and Marv are a true love story. They graciously agreed to be interviewed about how they met and fell in love at Spectrum Generations Cohen Community Center.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
How did you meet?
Phyllis: I met Marv in July of 2006 while standing in line to get my ticket for the boat to Cabbage Island. I didn’t have quit enough cash to buy the ticket and they didn’t take credit cards. I didn’t know where the local ATM was and I needed $20, so I asked the group from Spectrum Generations Cohen Center trip if there was anyone willing to lend me $20 so I could get on the boat. This gentleman, very nicely dressed and very polite, came up and offered to lend me the money. I stood there for a minute thinking about it and then decided, “why not. We got to chatting and he escorted me onto the boat and stayed with me when we arrived at the island to eat. We were chatting and felt very comfortable talking with each other. It was nice to have someone to talk with. Marv likes to tell the story that he picked me up for 20 bucks, and we still laugh about that. We were sitting at the table eating with other folks and all talking and I got the feeling that the others in our group thought that we must have been married or together for a long time because we were so comfortable together, laughing away and having a good time. My birthday was just a few weeks after the Cabbage Island trip and Marv and I celebrated by going to the Twin Lakes in Belgrade and to the Village Inn Restaurant for a birthday dinner.
Marv: I met Phyllis through the Cabbage Island trip that was offered by Spectrum Generations Cohen Center in July 2006. She was short on cash and needed to borrow $20 to get on the boat. I noticed how attractive she is, and she had a way about her, so I loaned her the money and we spent the day together. Now it is 5 ½ years later and we are still together.
What was the initial attraction?
Phyllis: We had a lovely meal and had taken photos of each other and were ready to board the boat when I noticed he had disappeared. When I looked back, he was helping someone in a wheelchair and that impressed me! I thought it was unusual to see a person who was willing to help a stranger. It made me feel that this was a good sign of Marv’s character. Marv is a very thoughtful person and is willing to help those in need. I am impressed with Marv’s history and all his experiences. I should write a book about his interesting life; the businesses he owned, and how he lived on a farm as a child and went to a one room school house. I grew up in the city and his life was so different from mine. I find him fascinating.
Marv: She was not only beautiful, but the way she dressed and carried herself attracted me to her. After a brief conversation I could tell that she is a very intelligent woman, so mostly it was her brain that attracted me. Phyllis is an excellent Scrabble player. I consider myself one of the best players and she beats me 2 out of 3 games. We still enjoy playing Scrabble and she still beats me!
What do you like to do together?
Phyllis: We like spending time together and with friends playing scrabble, going to the movies, dining out and spending time at Spectrum Generations Cohen Center.
Marv: Playing Scrabble is the #1 thing we like to do. We enjoy the same things such as going to plays and concerts, movies, dinners and spending time together and time with friends. Of course, we like going to the Cohen Center for lunches, free seminars and various activities.
What has this relationship meant to you?
Phyllis: Marv is very important to me at this point in my life. We have come to love each other quite a lot and we call each other every day as we live in different towns. In the late fall of 2006 I had to leave Maine to go back to Pennsylvania. Not even out of the State of Maine yet, I stopped my car and was crying because I really cared about Marv and I missed him. I just wasn’t ready to leave Marv, so I called him to tell him that I missed him already and I was looking forward to coming back to Maine and to him.
Marv: The companionship is one of love. I’m not lonely when Phyllis is here. She goes away each winter and I stay here because I love Maine so much. I always look forward to her return in the spring. We are still just as affectionate today as we were 5 ½ years ago! After all these years we are still in love with each other, and always will be.
Why do you come to the center?
Phyllis: I was vacationing in Maine for the summer from Pennsylvania and I came to Spectrum Generations Cohen Center for a Cabbage Island trip advertised in July of 2006. Although I did not permanently move to Maine until 2008, I started coming to the center lunches, took ballroom dance lessons, attended the dinner dances and then began teaching art classes at the Cohen Center.
Marv: I moved to Maine from Pennsylvania and I came to Spectrum Generations Cohen Center to meet new people, enjoy the delicious lunches, and not have to dine alone.
What has Spectrum Generations meant to you?
Phyllis: Certainly, it is the place where I met Marv and the staff is always looking out for us and offering new things for us to do. I am an artist, and I was able to hang my artwork at Cohen for several years. It is a great place to have lunch, participate in activities, and meet new people – just like I met Marv.
Marv: I really found a second home in my association with Spectrum Generations. I believe so much in this agency that I had to offer to help the Cohen Center with their expansion project to accommodate all the people wanting to participate in the center’s lunches and activities. I tell people all the time about Spectrum Generations and its Cohen Center in Hallowell. I tell them that they should try it, and once they do, they will become a regular too. The staff has always been the friendliest representatives in the State of Maine that this Pennsylvanian has ever met!
Phyllis Hartzler, age 78, lives in Winthrop in the summer and winters in Florida. Marvin “Marv” Berger, age 85, lives in Augusta year round. Celebrate the month of Valentine’s Day by sharing your “How We Met” story on Spectrum Generations Facebook wall.
The story with the most votes will win
a Mino HD Cisco Flip Video Camera.