Mark, originally from Wisconsin, and Dana, from Kansas City, Missouri, where the couple now resides, both initially had doubts about online dating.
Dana’s friend had a CatholicMatch advertisement in her home and encouraged her to apply, but she was worried that online dating might be dangerous. Mark came across CatholicMatch in the mail and actually almost tossed the information in the garbage. He thought it could be a waste of time, but then figured, “What do I have to lose?”
He decided to see what might happen, even if "just a friendship" came from it.
However, when Dana and Mark matched on CatholicMatch, there was more than friendship right away!
The two spoke on the phone for five months before meeting for their first date, in Pella, Iowa, at the city’s annual Tulip Time Festival. When they first began talking online, Mark was attracted to Dana’s patience, thoughtfulness, kindness, and warmth, and Dana was attracted to Mark's compassion, love, and good looks!
As their relationship has grown, Mark appreciates that Dana is even more loving and thoughtful than he knew, and he also likes her organizational skills and her spontaneity. Dana loves Mark’s intelligence, perseverance, his special personality, which is always so giving and entertaining, how dearly he loves the people in his life, his passion for his political and faith beliefs, and his humility. “He doesn't see his strengths as I see them,” Dana stated.
When they met for their first date, Mark said that she was even more beautiful in person, and, according to Dana, “that sealed the deal!” They were both pretty nervous meeting for their first date, but after their really fun first date of sightseeing and dinner at a Mexican restaurant, it turned out to be hard for them to leave each other.
They wanted to keep getting to know each other and decided to meet again in Chicago on the 4th of July.
It was here, they admitted, that they fell in love. When Dana headed back to Kansas City, Mark asked her to marry him, and Mark was surprised when she said yes!
Dana, 70, was a widow whose first husband had died unexpectedly and suddenly, so it was difficult for her to move on at first. Mark, 65, was hurt very badly in his previous marriage by an unfaithful wife.
However, they both believe that God brought them together.
They have also faced several obstacles, from heart issues to skin cancer diagnoses. One time, Dana was in the hospital with heart failure, and Mark was in Wisconsin. Mark was unable to make the drive of over 750 miles to see her because the weather was horrendous. He tried to call her at the hospital, but they said she wasn’t there. He kept calling and calling, but kept getting rerouted to different cities. He persevered and finally found her. Dana recalled that his finding her was such a wonderful feeling.
The pair married on September 20, 2025.
The highlights of their relationship have been getting to know each other’s personalities, likes, and dislikes, as well as learning to spend time together and how to relate to each other. While they have their differences, they work on meeting each other where they are, and are relying on God’s goodness through their trials.
Their advice for anyone considering CatholicMatch is to take the leap and don’t quit until the miracle happens!
