PERHAM — Many people dream of finding the one person they hope to spend the rest of their lives with, even into their 80s and 90s. One couple, retired and living together at Perham Living, each found their forever person: Wayne Sachs, 86, and Bobbie Sachs, 92. To celebrate Valentine's Day, they shared their love story and how they found one another.
One evening, over 40 years ago, both Wayne and Bobbie were out dancing at a bar one evening near the Twin Cities. Dancing was something the both of them absolutely loved to do, and that's what originally connected them. Bobbie was there with a friend of hers, but that didn't stop her and Wayne from finding their way to one another.
"We danced a lot of the dances — almost all of them," Wayne remembered. "And then we went and ate; she took her girlfriend home, and we had a cup of coffee. The next weekend, we went out."
Bobbie continued, "After that night, we just kept going out. We went together then … It was a good time. We danced every Friday night, sometimes on Saturday, sometimes on Sunday afternoon. We loved each other. We just, fell in love."
Their love for going out, dancing and music is what really made them fall for each other. They even got to know a lot of the musicians and bands who would play at different bars and motels throughout the area. The both of them were also going through a divorce at the time, so they understood and connected with one another on that experience.
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Because of their mutual divorces, they dated for about six years before marriage between the two of them was on the table. Their love was so strong, however, they always seemed to know they'd end up married to one another.
"I don't know if he did ask me to marry him or if we just assumed that we were going to get married," Bobbie laughed. And then, with their marriage, their life united as the Sachs began together.
Bobbie worked as a secretary, and Wayne was an iron worker, constructing the iron framework of different buildings. Outside of their careers, they still loved to go out dancing with one another, and they loved traveling with one another. Despite living in the Twin Cities area, they started taking vacations out into more rural areas to enjoy fishing and snowmobiling. These travels included the Perham area, which Wayne introduced to Bobbie.
"We started going out to fish; I fish to relax," Wayne remembered. "It was winter the first time (Bobbie) ever went out there. We're two and a half miles out on the lake, and she says, 'I got a question for you.' I says, 'What's the question?' She says, 'I don't see no telephone poles.'"
Bobbie joked, "On the lake."
Wayne continued, laughing, "I said, 'Telephone poles? … 'Remember when we went over that hump? That was the start of the lake. Ain't no telephone poles on the lake.'"
The two of them laughed, smiling as they looked at each other and reflected on this fond memory.
They went fishing up in Perham almost every weekend in their motor home, cooking fish they caught on their hot plate right then and there. Of course, being in a slightly different area didn't stop them from going to dances with one another. They remember one evening when they went out to a dance at the VFW on their snowmobile before heading back to their fish house the same way.
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They were driving down the road when, suddenly, there were red lights and sirens behind them. At first, they were confused. They hadn't done anything wrong.
"A cop came over, and he said, '(What) are you guys doing out here?'" Wayne remembered with a laugh. He explained to the officer that they were on their way back to the fish home to sleep. "The cop said, 'Do you realize how cold it is out here? It's 40 below.'"
They were all bundled up, having so much fun with one another that they didn't realize just how cold it was that evening. They continued coming out to the area, loving it. Later, they even got a spot at a campsite by Little Pine Lake to park their motor home.
Eventually, they even bought some land along the lake. With his knowledge in ironwork and the help of a carpenter friend, Wayne built a home for their weekly visits. Though they never had any kids together, they each had four from their previous marriages. Those kids would sometimes come up with them for their weekend Perham trips.
After many years of dancing, fishing and other adventures, the Sachs decided it was time to move into Perham Living with one another, where they share a space complete with beds, a living area and a private bathroom. Wayne gave the lake house he built to his son, so family members are able to stay there when visiting the couple.
They continue to love one another and be together after over 40 years, around each other almost every hour of every day. However, according to them, there isn't much of a secret to their relationship. It's hard to place their fingers on what exactly makes them so compatible. They get along well, and they love to joke around.
"We love each other," Bobbie smiled.
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