Although Horace and Jan Madison of Locust Grove only met five years ago, the outside observer might surmise that they’ve been together all their lives.

  In their case, however, destiny got a helping hand from modern  technology. As a result, they will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary in May.

  Jan Madison, originally from Detroit, is an information specialist at the McDonough Welcome Center. She said she first met her husband, Horace, in 2015, through an online dating site.

  At the time, Jan was living near Peachtree City. Horace, who grew up in McDonough, was living in Locust Grove.

  “He tells the story that my picture popped up,” said Jan Madison. “He says he meant to swipe left, but instead he swiped right. But I know it’s a fib.”

  She said that soon after she found Horace’s page online, she showed it to her sister, who was visiting from Michigan at the time.

  “She said, ‘Oh my God, look at his eyes. They look sincere, you need to contact him,” said Jan.

  Nevertheless, Jan initially resisted, putting the proverbial ball in Horace’s court.

  “I contacted him and said, ‘I’m getting off this site. If you want to talk to me, here’s my number,’” she said. “We were supposed to meet three weeks after, and he decided not to; he made some excuse.”

  Still, Jan said she was able to determine that Horace had looked at her page on the website nine times. She said her first phone conversation with Horace confirmed what her sister had told her.

  “There was just a comfort in his voice,” said Jan Madison. “I did have to ask him to repeat himself several times because of his southern accent, but that’s okay. For the most part, all we did was laugh, share stories and have a conversation.”The two met soon afterward in Senioia.

  Jan Madison said the search for love that led her to Horace began long before their first online encounter.

  “Years ago, after my divorce, I wrote a letter to God,” she said. “I said,’This is the man I want, and please send him to me. That was 10-12 years ago. It described Horace to a T, right down to, he loves animals and is kind to animals.”

  The similarities, she said, don’t end there.

  “We both have a good positiveness going forward and a good outlook for our future, and that’s important,” said Jan Madison. “We both have a mutual respect for each other. I took Horace up to see my family in Michigan two years ago, and my sisters said ‘we’ve never seen you this happy.’ That says it all right there.”

  Horace Madison works as a senior superintendent for Striker Contracting in Vinings, Ga. He said he, too, was ready to “give up” on the dating site before Jan came along.

  “We started talking to each other and met each other, and we’ve been in love ever since,” he said. “You don’t have much time to waste when

you’re our age. She was positive, and easy to talk to. I don’t think we’ve had a handful of disagreements the whole time we’ve known each other. I knew she had a good personality and had some common sense – even though she was a yankee.”

  Horace and Jan came into their relationship with similar backgrounds, each having been married previously. They have four children between

them, as well as three granddaughters and four foster-grandchildren.

  Jan Madison fondly recalled the day when she and Horace were married, at the Train Viewing Platform in Locust Grove. It was then, she said, that Horace was “acting funny” and asked her a peculiar question.

  “He said, ‘Can’t we just pretend?’ said Jan. “I looked at him and said, “You don’t seem to understand. I asked God to make me a godly wife. How can I be a godly wife if I’m not a wife?’ Obviously we got married, so every anniversary, he’ll put something on the card saying, ‘Aren’t you glad we didn’t pretend?’ It goes with our whole mantra.”

  As they approach Valentine’s Day, the Madisons said they are each learning to appreciate to value of compromise in certain areas, right down to the food they eat. For example, Jan Madison said she is still trying to learn the finer points of southern cooking.

  “I’m willing to give it a try,” she said.  “Every now and then, he wants fried chicken and I can’t make his mama’s fried chicken. Then he wants Streak-o-lean, and that’s where I draw the line.”

  For his part, Horace Madison acknowledges that he eats more organic food than did before he met his wife. With a touch of humor, he offered his take on the secret to making a marriage work.

  “Know when to keep your mouth shut,” he said. “And, always compliment on the food, whether you like it or not.”

  For Horace Madison, being married to Jan is a dream come true.

  “I’ve been looking all my life to find her – just the way she takes care of me and our family,” he said. “She’s kindhearted and truthful, and gorgeous – even though I had a cousin who told me I defiled the family by marrying a yankee.”

  Jan Madison said she and Horace are enjoying this chapter of their lives. She said their story offers a sense of hope to others who still haven’t found their forever love.

  “There is someone out there for you,” she said. “No matter what you’ve been through in life, just know that there is someone out there. The key is patience, and you just have to walk in faith.”