Oakwood Common couple reveals love story that blossomed after 40 years
Dearborn, Mich., August 15, 2016 – In the 1950s, there was a teenage boy, 16,
in Detroit, Mich., who met a 14 year old girl from Windsor, Ontario. Both were from
Greek families who had immigrated to North America, on different sides of the Detroit
River.
“Two years difference in age was a big gap in those days,” said George
Coutoumanos, now 76. “We didn’t date, but I never forgot how beautiful Evelyn was.”
Fast forward to the 1990s, when George and Evelyn attended the wedding of
friends. By then, each was married to a loving spouse. The two couples enjoyed visiting
as they sat together at the wedding reception.
Within months of the wedding, Evelyn’s husband died of sudden cardiac arrest.
George’s wife received the call at their home in Fort Worth, Texas, and insisted George
call Evelyn at her home in Michigan to console her.
“I had just returned from a long day at work, and wasn’t ready to talk,” said
George. “My wife dialed the number anyway and put the phone in my hand.”
It was only weeks later George’s wife died of sudden cardiac arrest.
Consoling each other, Evelyn and George began making long distance phone
calls and visits. Love blossomed.
“I had a good job in Texas, but Evelyn made it plain that she wasn’t leaving
Michigan and her two daughters,” said George. “So I moved to Dearborn in 1999 and
married her.”
Today, the couple’s love story is told mostly by George with Evelyn nodding in
agreement or adding to the fond memories they share. George has become Evelyn’s
caregiver.
Both are very candid in sharing that Evelyn has a type of dementia that is known
as behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD) that causes changes in
behavior as well as memory and speech. It prompted their recent move from a four-level
house in Dearborn to the senior living community at Oakwood Common.
Reluctant to have her picture taken today, Evelyn Coutoumanos
posed for a picture near the time of her 2013 diagnosis of bvFTD.
While Evelyn’s condition has changed the couple’s activities, both make it clear
that it hasn’t changed their love for one another. “She’s my soulmate,” said George.
“He’s a good husband,” said Evelyn, who worked as a nurse for a local family
physician for nearly 30 years.
George, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, retired as a lieutenant colonel
following a 21-year career in the U.S. Army, and then worked for major corporations in
the defense industry. Following his move to Michigan, he became a consultant.
“My job required extensive travel throughout the U.S., so Evelyn would often go
with me,” said George. In 2013, it was during an assignment in Texas that he came
home from work to their hotel residence and learned Evelyn had gotten lost. “That’s
when I decided to retire, and we came back to Michigan to begin four months of testing.”
The couple acknowledged that their children have been a big support. George’s
two sons in Texas, and Evelyn’s two daughters in Michigan have become like brothers
and sisters. Together, there are 10 grandchildren
“We’ve raised four very successful kids, and we never wanted to be a burden to
our children,” added George. “Moving to Oakwood Common, we never have to be.”
George Coutoumanos shows off his 2011 Shelby Mustang GT
that he souped up getting a 740 horsepower engine.
Evelyn is not timid about how she likes to spend her time now, which includes
going to the casino, eating M&Ms, and clipping store coupons she gives to people
shopping at the mall.
George enjoys getting together for breakfast with his longtime buddies from
Detroit’s Mackenzie High School, taking the grandchildren on fun outings, and driving his
special love, a 2011 Shelby Mustang GT.
Together, George and Evelyn share a love story.
About Oakwood Common
Oakwood Common, a Beaumont community, offers one and two bedroom senior
living apartments located at 16351 Rotunda Drive, within a beautiful 29-acre community
that includes exquisite landscaping, nature trails and scenic views along the historic
Rouge River Gateway in Dearborn. Oakwood Common apartments, available with
flexible payment options, offer exceptional amenities for independent living and can be
readily customized. Assisted living and a comprehensive rehabilitation and skilled
nursing center, part of Beaumont Health, are also available for those with additional
needs. For more information and to arrange tours, call 800-642-4663 or visit
www.OakwoodCommon.org.