Stories of Russians who have created a family after 50 years

In Russia, it is difficult to call "overripe" marriages generally accepted: the fear of appearing ridiculous in the eyes of others keeps many grandparents from creating a new family. Meanwhile, the union of two elderly people may no longer be an enthusiastic love, but another opportunity to feel needed and valuable, a powerful incentive to an active and long life. Photographer Yaroslava Tarasova captured middle-aged couples and recorded their stories.

The official website of the photographer Yaroslava Tarasova.

Source: lenta.ru

1. Olga Alexandrovna Orlova (63 years old) and Sergey Vladimirovich Petrov (65 years old) met in a private boarding house for the elderly.

Elderly people moved here of their own accord, so as not to embarrass their relatives and not burden them with care. Most of the old people who get into the boarding house can no longer move freely, some hardly speak. Therefore, the couple has almost no friends. But there is a lot of free time that older people spend together: talking, reading books and playing board games.

2. Valentina Mikhailovna Kabanikhina (75 years old) and Mikhail Nikolaevich Sinelnikov (66 years old) met at a dance "For those over 50".

"I liked Michel right away, he is kind, caring and, unlike my first husband, not jealous," says Valentina Mikhailovna. Mikhail Nikolaevich writes poems, often dedicating them to his wife.

3. Maria Andrianovna Velichko (60 years old) and Nikolay Aleksandrovich Krivokhizhenko (66 years old) met at work.

"We met in 2008. When we walked along the embankment for the first time, Nikolai Alexandrovich brought me a huge bouquet of scarlet roses, and that evening I was even embarrassed to smoke in front of him. From this meeting, we realized that we would live together," Maria Andrianovna shared.

4. Galina Ivanovna Chunina (75 years old) and Alexey Alekseevich Gordienko (73 years old) met in 1959 in the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Far East. Then both studied at the geological exploration college. In 1960, their paths diverged, but the young people continued to correspond. In 1967, Galina Ivanovna got married, and since then communication between them has been interrupted.

After 47 years, Galina Ivanovna found Alexey Alekseevich on the Odnoklassniki social network, later he moved to her in St. Petersburg from the Ukrainian city of Berdyansk, where he lived with his son.

5. Ida Vasilyevna Avksentieva (81) and Yuri Ivanovich Nikiforov (77) met 14 years ago in the city of Zelenogorsk, Leningrad region, where Ida Vasilyevna once loved to spend time with her now deceased husband. She was sitting in a roadside cafe when Yuri Ivanovich saw her. Now the couple live in a boarding house for the elderly "Krasnaya Zvezda" near Zelenogorsk.

6. Elena Ivanovna Proshina (61 years old) and Vladislav Viktorovich Nikulenko (69 years old) met in the spring of 1973 on the train. Both traveled every day from Sestroretsk (Leningrad region) to St. Petersburg to study and work. Vladislav Viktorovich watched Elena Ivanovna for a long time, but was shy to approach. The girl noticed the interested looks and decided to approach herself. After several months of meetings, Vladislav Viktorovich proposed to her, she promised to think about it, but then the young people quarreled and broke up. They met 20 years later, and later got married in secret from their relatives.

7. Natalia Iosifovna Alekseeva (66 years old) and Anatoly Ivanovich Alekseev (76 years old) met in a state boarding school for the elderly and disabled, where they still live. Natalia Iosifovna lost her sight at the age of three, Anatoly Ivanovich is visually impaired.

Both ended up in a boarding school against their will. The woman was identified here by a sister who refused to take care of a disabled person. Anatoly Ivanovich was deprived of an apartment and left without money by his son. Previously, the couple liked to walk in the nearby park, but in recent years it has become difficult for Natalia Iosifovna to walk, so they spend almost all their time on the territory of the boarding school.

8. Nikolai Konstantinovich Nikolaev (85 years old) and Valentina Alexandrovna Dyldina (75 years old) met in a private boarding house "Petrovsky Mills" in Krasnoye Selo near St. Petersburg.

Both are offended by their relatives, who did not want to take care of the elderly and sent them to a nursing home. Valentina Alexandrovna suffers from memory loss, she almost does not remember her past, moves with difficulty. Nikolai Konstantinovich takes care of his wife, accompanies and supports her: "She is good and kind, I love her. The opportunity to take care of someone in my old age, to be needed supports me and gives me the meaning of life."

9. Nina Alekseevna Shumskaya (89 years old) and Valentin Vlasovich Pautov (89 years old) met in childhood — both lived in Turkmenistan, but in those years they did not communicate much. Nina Alekseevna became an opera singer, Valentin Vlasovich became a dramatic actor. They met again at the age of 69 in St. Petersburg, in the house of veterans of the scene, and after a while they started a family.

10. Henrikh Zakharovich Lyubinsky (82 years old) and Alexandra Nikolaevna Zaretskaya (70 years old).

"Our acquaintance is one chance in five million. I consider it a miracle that I met a woman who is meant for me. We met at a mutual friend's, to whom I came to visit very rarely, and Alexandra Nikolaevna was with her only once. Then I fell in love. I was incredibly lucky, not everyone has enough life to find their other half," says Henrikh Zakharovich.