Romance on the Connecticut River: ‘Loquacious’ retirees nearly miss their moment

NEPM, NHPR, Vermont Public and the NENC | By Ben James

Published September 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM EDT

Ed Lomerson and Elsie Fetterman celebrate their 97th birthdays on a Connecticut River Cruise, launching from South Hadley, Massachusetts. They met 11 years ago after Elsie posted an ad on Match.com.

All week we heard from people who reporter Ben James met on his bike ride down the Connecticut River. Stories of grieving, working, trying to make rent, watching things change for better and for worse along New England’s longest waterway.

Now we meet two more people – a couple. They’re 97 years old, and they celebrate their birthdays every summer with a cruise on the Connecticut River.

“Life on the Connecticut” was made possible through a partnership between NEPM, NHPR, Vermont Public and the New England News Collaborative.

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