Staff writer
The strains of the hymn “It is Well with My Soul” was a fitting end for the recent wedding ceremony of Richard Meisinger and Feebie Holdeman of Marion. Both believe God led them to be together after the deaths of their previous spouses.
Although the couple has known one another for years, Richard, 75, was married to the former Janet Patton, who died May 20, 2015.
Feebie, 72, was married first to Jim Smith, who died in a car accident on Feb. 4, 1981, and then to Bill Holdeman, who died of acute leukemia on Oct. 20, 2015.
When both were young families with children, they attended the same church. Later, their life paths took them in different directions.
Last May, Richard stopped by Feebie’s house to visit. His visit was on the order of a condolence call to the wife of a deceased friend.
As the two sat in wicker chairs on her porch and talked, Richard saw more dimension to her than he’d seen previously.
They started talking to each other more often, then talking became dating, and they married just after midnight Jan. 1 to the strains of “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
Richard said the ending song of the ceremony, “It is Well with My Soul” is especially appropriate because both are at peace with the passing of their previous spouses and rest in the knowledge that they are now with God.
“It is well in our souls for us to remarry,” Richard said. “We feel that now it is our time. We feel that is what God has given us.”
Since Richard knew Bill so well and Feebie knew Janet so well, they often talk about their prior spouses, recognizing that each was a gift in the life of the other.
Having both already lost spouses, the two plan to enjoy the time they have together as best they can. They want to go on a cruise, sit in the wicker rockers on the porch, and just enjoy being together.
“We have a good blend of personalities,” Richard said. “We respect each other. That’s what makes for a good relationship.”