World War II Sweethearts Reunite After 7 Decades Apart

Though their lives diverged more than seven decades ago, Norwood Thomas, 93, and Joyce Morris, 88, never forgot each other. The World War II veteran and his wartime girlfriend met just before D-Day in London, and quickly fell for each other. After the war, they exchanged letters from opposite sides of the Atlantic, but ultimately married other people.

Now, the former sweethearts are finally reuniting. After decades of marriage, both Morris and Thomas are currently single, according to Time. (Thomas is a widower, while Morris is divorced.) Morris, who lives in Australia, had her son track down Thomas, who lives in America, online. The two have been chatting via Skype for some time.

To some degree, Morris and Thomas’s love story is also an illustration of how radically the internet has changed relationships and communication. The pair's postal correspondence ended because of a long-distance misunderstanding. Now, the existence of the Internet has not only re-connected them in virtual space, but made it possible for them to see each other face to face.

After reading about Morris and Thomas's love story online, hundreds of people donated money to help them purchase plane tickets and make travel arrangements. This week, Thomas finally made the journey from America to Australia. The two will be spending Valentine’s Day together. When asked how he felt about the reunion, Thomas responded, “This is about the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me.”

[h/t Time]