Marilyn Odum of Ellenwood says her relationship with Benny O’Kelley of McDonough sends an important message to the world.

“No matter how old you get, you can still find love,” says Odum, 86. “The purpose of our story is to inspire others.”

Odum had attended services at The Ole Country Church in McDonough for about four years, when she and O’Kelley met there in November of 2021. At the time O’Kelley was dealing with the loss of his wife of 66 years, Barbara, who died two years earlier.

“After she passed away, a friend of ours suggested I get back in church,” says O’Kelley, 87, of McDonough.
The following Sunday, he sat on the right side of The Ole Country Church. After the service, O’Kelley says, Odum approached him and invited him to a Thanksgiving dinner there.

“I told her that I did not cook,” says O’Kelley. “She said that I did not have to bring anything, only myself.”

O’Kelley accepted Odum’s invitation to the dinner. Soon after his arrival, Odum sat down next to him.

After piecing together connections to mutual acquaintances, the two talked about their families and the losses they had suffered over the years.

“I had just lost my wife, my last sister, and my last brother-in-law in the previous year,” explains O’Kelley. “She said she had lost three loved ones in one year, so she could understand what I was going through.”

O’Kelley says Odum then offered him a supportive hug – as well as her phone number.

O’Kelley and Odum enjoyed worship services together in the weeks that followed. It wasn’t long before he decided to pursue his newfound interest further.

“I called her one day and told her I would like to come see her,” says O’Kelley. “She gave me her address. When I arrived at her house, I went in and told her I wanted to get that big hug that she told me she once would like to give me. I also asked her if a kiss went with that hug. She gave me the best and biggest hug and kiss I have ever gotten.”

For her part, Odum says from the moment she met O’Kelley, there was something special within him.

“He just had an attraction about him,” she says. “We just felt like we had so much in common. We felt like we had known each other before we met. We were just drawn to each other.”

O’Kelley and Odum learned about each other’s families, discovering similarities in their backgrounds. Each of them, he says, comes from a family of three boys and three girls.

“I asked her what number she was,” recalls O’Kelley. “She said, ‘number five.’ I said I was number five, too, in my family. She is the last one living in her family. I am the last one living in my family. She lost a daughter who was in her 50s. I lost a daughter in her 50s.”

Odum was married for 48 years when her husband, Paul, passed away 16 years ago. Her only child, Janet, died in 2009.
O’Kelley has four children living – Robin, Kenneth, Melanie, and James. O’Kelley’s other daughter, Patty, passed away a few years ago at age 57.

O’Kelley said he and Odum have more in common than the sadness of the past.

“Our lives are so compatible,” he says. “It is like a repeat of our lives. She will be thinking of something. I will be thinking of the same thing and say it. I will be thinking of something, and she would be thinking the same thing and say it.

“We were not looking for a mate when we met at the church, but it was like a magic connection,” says O’Kelley. “We were like two magnets drawn to each other. I found out there are more benefits to going to church, as I found the love of my life there.”

O’Kelley joined the church soon after he and Odum began dating. Since then, they have enjoyed everything from yard work to cooking together, all while proclaiming their love to anyone who will listen.

“We had t-shirts made with ‘Recycled Teenagers’ on them, with an arrow on hers pointing to me and an arrow on mine pointing to her,” says O’Kelley. “People stop us and comment on them. We tell our love story, and they are inspired by it.”
Odum describes O’Kelley as “a good man” who takes care of her.

“He’s so considerate,” she says. “He opens doors for me, and he helps me with my chores here at the house. He’s a very good gentleman.”

She, in turn, makes sure he is taken care of as well.

“He loves to eat, and I love to cook,” says Odum. “It’s a very good combo.”

Odum says she and O’Kelley have no plans to get married anytime soon.

“We’re not contemplating that right now,” she says. “We’re happy with the way things are, just enjoying each other.”

Upon hearing his lady’s words, O’Kelley steals a kiss. He said they hope to reach others with their story of love and faith.

“Our prayer is to let God’s love shine through us, that we might be a blessing to other people,” he says.