50 years after getting a divorce, Kentucky couple will tie the knot for a second time


They divorced five decades ago, but after reconnecting at a family reunion, Harold Holland and Lillian Barnes want to give their marriage another shot.
"I don't think we ever lost that love, to tell you the truth," Holland told the Lexington Herald Leader. Holland, 83, and Barnes, 78, got married in 1955, and had five children. Holland said it was "100 percent my fault" that they divorced in 1967, because he worked too much. They remained friendly, and both ended up remarrying — Barnes' third husband died in 2015, as did Holland's second wife. At the family reunion last year, they realized they still cared for each other, and decided to rekindle their romance.
Their grandson, Joshua Holland, is a minister, and will marry his grandparents on April 14 in Lexington, Kentucky. Holland said he's taking a different approach to marriage this time around. "Well go do whatever we want to, whenever we want to do it," he said. "I'll take her wherever she wants to go."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Eurovision faces its Waterloo over Israel boycotts
Talking Point Five major broadcasters have threatened to pull out of next year’s contest over Israel’s participation
-
What is Donald Trump’s visit worth to the UK economy?
In the Spotlight Centrepiece of the president’s trip, business-wise, is a ‘technology partnership’
-
Trump’s visit: the mouse and the walrus
Britain is keen to point to its own ‘tangible results’, but the US administration has made their demands clear
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read