Valentine’s Day: candied hearts across Cook County
Every couple has a love story — the first time they met, a moment where they just knew, or a day that changed everything.
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, and every couple has its own way of doing just that. WTIP sat down with couples across the community to hear how they met, their favorite memory together, and the advice they’d share after years of choosing each other.
From first-date jitters to decades of shared laughter, their stories are heartwarming, honest, and a reminder that love in every little moment and every milestone is always worth celebrating.
Mary and Ben Petz
Mary and Ben have been married for 51 years. The two reflect on their first date, the early years of their marriage, starting a family, celebrating their 50th anniversary, and how they have made their relationship work for over five decades.
Libby Larson and Ben Rasmussen
Libby and Ben are newlyweds, married in June 2025. The two started out navigating a long-distance relationship between Grand Marais and Duluth, until they were able to secure a home in Grand Marais and start a life together in the same zip code. Libby and Ben share a cute engagement story and some relationship advice for other newlyweds.
Joyce Drouillard
Joyce first met her husband, Pooty, when she was a junior at Cook County High School. Their first encounter was when Pooty took her for a ride up the Gunflint Trail in his green and cream 1951 Mercury. The couple was engaged the next year, when Joyce was a high school senior. Then, in June of 1957, the two got married at the Cook County Courthouse. The two are still married 69 years later.
Kalli Hawkins February 14, 2026
