Love Archives - Page 8 of 10 - StoryCorps

Keith Harris and Tim Harris

Tim’s Place, a restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is named after a young man with Down syndrome, Tim Harris.

Tim calls it “the world’s friendliest restaurant.” He works there six days a week and greets each customer at the door.

At StoryCorps, Tim sat down with his father, Keith, who helped him start the business in 2010.

Originally aired March 15, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

You can read more stories like this one in our book Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, a collection that celebrate the passion, determination, and courage it takes to pursue the work we feel called to do.

Callings is now available from Penguin Books. Get the book at our neighborhood bookstore, Greenlight Bookstore, or find it at your local bookstore.

Shaun Kaufman and Colleen Collins

Colleen Collins and Shaun Kaufman were both divorced and having a tough time finding work when they started dating in 2002. Eventually, tired of Shaun drinking and getting stoned all day, Colleen came up with the idea that they should start a private investigation agency. (Shaun has a law degree and had trained several PIs in the past.)

At StoryCorps, the couple who married in 2009 discuss their work and how it helped save their relationship.

Originally aired March 8, 2013 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Rowena Gore-Simmons and Kenya Gore

Rowena Gore-Simmons runs 2 God B The Glory, a non-profit that helps formerly incarcerated women find housing and adjust to life outside the prison system, but in 2001, she was just getting out of prison herself.

At StoryCorps, Rowena sits down with her 16-year-old daughter Kenya, who was 4 years old when her mother was incarcerated, to talk about what the experience was like for both of them.

Originally aired February 22, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Tracy Johnson and Sandra Johnson

North Carolina National Guardsman Tracy Johnson (left) is an Iraq war veteran and an Army widow. She is also believed to be the first gay spouse to lose her partner at war since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Donna Johnson was killed on Oct. 1, 2012, while on patrol in Khost, Afghanistan. She was 29.

Tracy married her long-time partner, Staff Sergeant Donna Johnson, on Valentine’s Day in 2012. Later that year, Donna was killed by a suicide bomber while serving in Khost, Afghanistan. She was 29 years old.

The Army did not consider Tracy to be Donna’s next of kin, but when Army representatives arrived to inform Donna’s family of her death, Tracy presented their marriage certificate and asked to be part of the military escort that would welcome her wife back to U.S. soil. This request was ultimately granted at the insistence of her mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson (right).

At StoryCorps, Tracy and Sandra talk about finding out that their wife and daughter wasn’t coming home.

Originally aired February 16, 2013, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Above: Staff Sergeant Donna Johnson. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Public Affairs Office.

Louis Caplan and Harriet Caplan

caplan2_custom-87ffe9c5ecf368b3a6823c29fa61a58b0b932128-s400-c85Harriet and Louis Caplan’s love story began later in their lives. She was 48 and he was 56. Neither had ever been married before, but suddenly they found themselves together all the time and Louis proposed, so in 1995 they got married.

At StoryCorps, they talk about falling in love and the challenges they now face since Harriet was diagnosed with colon cancer and given a life expectancy of about two years.

Originally aired February 15, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: The Caplans at their wedding on May 27, 1995. Photo courtesy of Harriet Caplan.

Michael Wilmoth and Bryan Wilmoth

Bryan Wilmoth (right) and his seven younger siblings were raised in a strict, religious household. When Bryan’s father found a love letter from a man in his box of things, he drove him into the countryside and dropped him off in the middle of the night with a five dollar bill.

All of the siblings at Bryan and Michael's sister's wedding in June 2007. From left: Jude, Mike, Pam, Bryan, Amy, Curtis (groom), Chris, Luke-Henry and Josh.Over the years, all of Bryan’s siblings either ran away from or were kicked out of their family home. He made efforts to reconnect with them, but many were initially resistant, so it took a long time for their relationships to grow.

At StoryCorps, Bryan and his brother Michael (left) recall how their family grew close.

Click here to watch “A Good Man,” a StoryCorps animation of Bryan and Michael’s conversation.

Originally aired January 25, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: The Wilmoth siblings at Bryan and Michael’s sister’s wedding in June 2007. From left: Jude, Mike, Pam, Bryan, Amy, Curtis (groom), Chris, Luke-Henry, and Josh.

Jeff Ingram and Penny Ingram

Ingram3Jeff Ingram suffers from Dissociative Fugue, a rare type of amnesia. When he has an attack, his memory is wiped clean.

But each time he has to start his life over, his wife, Penny, is there to help him remember.

At StoryCorps, Penny told Jeff about the early days of their relationship.

One reason the Ingrams wanted to record with StoryCorps was to preserve Jeff’s memories — in case he loses them again.

Listen to the message Jeff recorded for himself:


Originally aired on December 13, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: Penny and Jeff got married on New Year’s Eve, 2006, after Jeff proposed to Penny twice. Photo courtesy of Penny and Jeff Ingram.

Wil Smith and Olivia Smith

Wil Smith was 27 when he enrolled as a freshman at Bowdoin College in Maine in 1996.

But his age wasn’t the only thing that set him apart from his classmates, Wil arrived with his infant daughter, Olivia, in tow.

As a teenager, Olivia sat down with her dad to look back on their college days.

Wil and Olivia recorded this conversation shortly after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

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Originally broadcast June 15, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Note: StoryCorps remembers Wil Smith, who recorded a conversation with his daughter, Olivia, about being a single dad in college. At the time of this interview in 2012, Wil had just been diagnosed with colon cancer. He died on February 22, 2015, at the age of 46.

Sarah Littman and Joshua Littman

When Joshua Littman and his mother, Sarah, first came to StoryCorps in 2006, Joshua was a seventh-grade honors student who was having a tough time socially.

Joshua was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), formerly referred to as Asperger’s Syndrome. Kids with ASD can miss social cues and often have obsessions. For Joshua, it was animals.

Joshua started college in fall of 2011, and found himself struggling again. So Sarah brought him back to StoryCorps, where they talked about what it has been like for both of them since Joshua left for school.

Click here to watch our animated short based on the Littman’s first interview.

Originally aired November 8, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Gweneviere Mann and Yasir Salem

Gweneviere Mann lost her short-term memory following surgery to remove a brain tumor. With the support of her boyfriend, Yasir Salem, Gweneviere found she could tackle the challenges her condition threw her way—and a few more.

At StoryCorps, Gweneviere and Yasir talked about how they’ve learned to navigate life in a new way, together.

Just a few weeks after their interview—and two days after their story was broadcast— Gweneviere and Yasir ran the 2011 New York City Marathon. They took a photo at the finish line, at left.

Click here to watch “Marking the Distance,” a StoryCorps animation of Gweneviere and Yasir’s story.

Originally aired November 4, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.