Love stories

Nick Palange had to do a little convincing to win over the woman of his dreams. But 60 years and one daughter later, it all paid off handsomely for the native South Philadelphian.

The 87-year-old met his wife Elvira (pronounced "El-vera") in 1940 at Villa Venice, a club formerly at Broad and Tasker streets.

"I seen her and I went crazy," Palange recalls.

The besotted young man wasted no time in asking for a date. But, much to his chagrin, Elvira stood him up.

"She was scared of me. She thought I was a gangster," he says.

Elvira was born and raised in West Philly and Nick thinks she might have been a little leery of Italian boys from these parts.

Fate is something that can’t be altered, however, so their worlds collided again at a St. Paul’s Church dance.

Palange made a second date with Elvira and this time, she showed up.

"That was it. She chased me for five years. She wouldn’t leave me alone," he says with a gleam in his eye.

The couple married in 1944 and have one daughter, Rosemarie, 58. Today, Nick and his sweetheart live at 20th and Wolf.

A true romantic beaming with life, Palange volunteers weekdays at the newly dubbed Caring People Alliance at Fels South Philadelphia Community Center, 2407 S. Broad St. The charming man who sits behind a desk near the front door has developed quite a reputation at the center: Palange even serenades some of the regular ladies. He prefers the oldies but goodies. "I don’t like these crazy songs today," he says.

One of his favorite tunes to croon is When the Sun Bids the Moon Goodnight. While Palange says he can’t remember who performed the big-band song, he has no trouble recalling the lyrics: "When the sun bids the moon goodnight, how I wish I could hold you tight. It was just twilight time that you promised me that you were all mine and you’ll always be."

On Valentine’s Days past, Palange would give his wife money or sometimes flowers. This year, he has something quite different planned — a surprise that he won’t reveal here. He also will take Elvira for a spin on the dance floor at the Fels Center’s Valentine’s Dance tomorrow.

Palange didn’t pass along his romantic gene to his daughter, who also works at the community center and lives within blocks of her parents.

Describing herself as more nurturing and affectionate than romantic, Rosemarie thinks Cupid’s Day is "kind of silly." In her opinion, there shouldn’t be one sanctioned holiday celebrating romance. "Just be good to me all year and give me what I want, and I’ll do the same in return. It doesn’t have to be one day," she says.

Never married, and absolutely without regrets, Rosemarie says getting hitched was just one of those things that never happened. Besides, she knew she never wanted children — a big reason most people tie the knot, she believes.

Every time Etta Miller looks at her 40-year-old son, she’s reminded of her late husband, Petters "Pet" Miller. Their child looks exactly like the love of her life, she says.

Miller, who lives in North Philly and was raised in North Carolina, where she met her "Pet," spends her days at the Fels Center. Her 4-year-old granddaughter attends programs there and her 10-year-old grandchild goes to Fell Elementary, Ninth and Oregon.

Miller recalls spending many happy Valentine’s Days with her hubby, who died 20 years ago. Normally, he would give her flowers and candy and she would cook his favorite meal — anything involving meat and potatoes. The 67-year-old mother of six says she would strive for romance by putting candles on the table. "Sometimes he would say it’s too dark to eat," she recalls with a laugh.

Pet Miller was a big kidder. So much so that when he proposed to his high-school sweetheart on her father’s porch, she thought he was kidding, so she didn’t accept right away.

The smitten young man had to wait a couple of weeks for his would-be bride to finally say yes. All’s well that ends well, because the wait wasn’t as cruel as it might sound.

"He knew that I loved him," Miller says.

As far as Joseph Iannetta is concerned, when you’re married to the perfect woman, every day is Valentine’s Day.

"She was a perfect woman in every respect. Perfect wife, perfect mother. I miss her so much," the 78-year-old resident from the 2500 block of Chadwick Street says of his late wife, Mary.

The couple married in May 1953 and had a son and daughter who still live close to their father.

Joseph met his future wife during a visit to his uncle’s home in South Philly. Mary was the friend of one of Joseph’s cousins. Strangely enough, he would not find out until some 50 years later that his mother had arranged the whole introduction. At that cousin’s 50th anniversary party several years ago, she finally fessed up to Iannetta.

Of meeting Mary that day at his uncle’s house, he says, "I liked her. She was pretty. As soon as I looked at her, I knew she was it. And she felt the same way, too."

That night, when Iannetta got home, he inquired around about Mary, got her phone number from his cousin and asked her on a date. The couple’s first date was in 1951 at a former club at 13th and Locust.

Iannetta remembers all too well their first Valentine’s Day a year later. He gave his beloved a box of chocolates, after which her sister kindly informed him that Mary didn’t eat candy. She was gracious and accepted the goodies anyway, and her sister helped her eat them, Iannetta says with a laugh.

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A Valentine’s Dance at Fels Center, 2407 S. Broad St., will be held tomorrow, 12:30-2 p.m., sponsored by the Healthy Heart Program. The program is one of many offered for people ages 55 and over. At 10 a.m., students from Thomas Middle School will visit the center and interact with seniors for a program called "Animals, Plants and Me." The program includes games, prizes and lectures on stress reduction.