A Love Story 80+ Years in the Making
For their 74th Wedding Anniversary, The Meadows Rehab and Long-Term Healthcare surprised resident Treva Post and her husband John Frank with a reception.
John Frank and Treva met in the 5th grade and then fell in love and decided to elope when they were 19. Without telling their families, they met in a preacher’s office in Temple on February 2, 1941. “We knew we loved each other so we just got married!” said John Frank.
Choosing The Meadows for Treva’s rehab after she suffered a bad fall was a natural choice for the couple, who have both been a part of Coryell Health since its inception.
In addition to his full-time career as Editor and Co-owner of The Gatesville Messenger, John Frank served on the Coryell County hospital board of directors since 1955 and was instrumental to the campaign to build the current Coryell Memorial Hospital. John Frank served faithfully on the CMHS Board of Directors through multiple expansions as the organization has grown to meet community needs.
Treva has served as well, being a Charter Member and Lifetime Member of the Coryell Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, renamed the Coryell Memorial Healthcare Volunteers. She logged almost 3,000 hours of volunteer service before she retired in 2012.
“We greatly appreciate everything this healthcare system has to offer. We have had the need to make use of its services over the last couple of years and we thank our lucky stars we have The Meadows and that it’s connected to the hospital,” John Frank said. He added that as a board member, they always hope the community realizes everything CMHS has to offer.
Despite this latest health set-back, the Posts have proven there is nothing the couple can’t handle together.
“We were married in 1941, the same year as Pearl Harbor and I had my second baby while John Frank was serving in the Navy. We had some lean years and it was tough times for everyone, but we had each other,” said Treva.
John Frank and Treva continue to exhibit a dedication to each other that is rare to find. When discussing plans for Treva’s care, John Frank was quick to place himself on the waiting list for The Meadows, in case Treva needed to stay longer. He was not interested in the other levels of care CMHS offers, such as The Oaks at Coryell independent living apartments saying, “No, if I’m allowed, I’d like to move in with her in The Meadows. I don’t want to leave her side.”
At this, Treva smiled at him and patted his knee and said, “I don’t want you to either.”