Right, Sue Davenport and Wayne Bessolo are honored at a Thursday wedding party at their home at Lost Creek. The couple married Tuesday. The former Negaunee classmates reconnected at the residential complex where they will continue to live. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)

MARQUETTE — You never know when or where romance will pop up.

The amorously unexpected recently happened to Sue Davenport and Wayne Bessolo.

The 72-year-olds had gone to school together in Negaunee, graduating in 1962. That’s when they went their separate ways.

Davenport said she hadn’t seen her former classmate since graduation. However, things changed when she moved to Lost Creek, a residential complex in Marquette Township , in November 2015.

“Then, every second Wednesday of the month, we have a birthday party here, and that was the first time we saw one another since high school,” Davenport said.

Davenport was widowed while Bessolo’s earlier marriage ended in divorce. She had worked as a waitress and in the home health care field, while he performed mechanic work, having served as a supervisor at Cleveland-Cliffs, now Cliffs Natural Resources.

At Lost Creek, she had gotten wind that someone with whom she went to school was living in her building.

That person was Bessolo.

“I got the downstairs apartment and she moved in the upstairs,” Bessolo said.

Bessolo has a system, sort of a personal business card method, he uses when he meets people: small yellow pieces of paper with his contact information.

“That’s what I ended up giving her when we met at that birthday party,” Bessolo said.

Davenport said he then handed her some paper to get her basic personal info.

Even then, she was a little cautious.

“I didn’t think that I wanted telephone calls, so I didn’t even put in the phone number,” she said.

Obviously, there was a lot of catching up to do, with the two talking about their school and teachers, she said.

“A lot of history,” Davenport said.

Eventually, the friendship turned into something more, although it was more apparent to the other Lost Creek residents.

“We just become friends, and everybody else was watching this take place, and they knew something was happening, but nobody told us,” Davenport said.

Lost Creek resident Arlene Kivela agreed, saying Davenport and Bessolo didn’t realize the change at first.

“Everyone has been watching it blossom,” Kivela said.

The two ended up getting married Tuesday, right at Lost Creek. They now will live in the upstairs apartment.

So, what’s next?

“Right now we have a trip planned to go down to Illinois so he can meet the rest of my children,” Davenport said.

Bessolo’s son also is planning a visit, she said.

There’s still a lot for the couple to talk about.

“We got lots of stuff to bring up about the past,” Bessolo said. “That’s what brought us together, really.”

And there was no computer dating website or office Christmas party involved.

“It all started with a cup of coffee in the morning, and then it graduated to a pot,” Davenport said. “Then it graduated to two pots.”

Although she laughed when she said that, Davenport become teary-eyed when she talked about the greater meaning of them getting together.

“I got a husband that I can make happy the rest of my life,” she said.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.