Richie was an animation artist for Walt Disney and Warner Bros., and Fran was an artist and teacher.

They met through a director friend in Malibu, Calif. It was 1964, and their first date was supposed to be to see "Cleopatra." Fran was anxious to see how Elizabeth Taylor looked, and Richie belonged to the Motion Picture Academy, so the movie was free. Except Richie mixed up the schedule, and they arrived at the wrong time, so they saw something else.

Their first dinner was over scrambled eggs (which Richie ordered because he had a stomach ulcer) and grilled cheese (which Fran ordered because she thought her date was broke). When he took her back home, she found she had only $9 to pay the babysitter who charged $10, so she was embarrassed that she had to borrow a dollar. But Richie and Fran clicked anyway and spent many more days together.

"I don't know if it was God or luck," she said. "Somebody brought the perfect person for me."

He shared her love of music and surprised her with a piano one time. Another time, he came home with Easter baskets for her boys and a ring for her.

They wed on Dec. 7, 1965, in Las Vegas.

Over they years, they took many trips to Hawai'i, where Richie, who liked to paint, admired the colors of the ocean and the flowers.

Just after their 31st anniversary, Richie had fallen and broken his hip and became ill. He passed away on Dec. 30, 1996. He was 81.

"His last words were: 'I'll always love you,' " Fran said.

She ended up moving here. He always wanted to live here.

At this time of year, she can't help but be reminded of him and find comfort in music they both loved.

Their marriage worked because they met each other in the middle, Fran said, and made compromises for each other.

So while they are not newlyweds, they do have a story of love that has lasted.

And that's what Fran is celebrating this year, on what would have been their 39th anniversary.

"Sometimes at night, I just say, 'I love you, Richie,' " she said, "and I know he's out there somewhere."