It started with their shared interest writing in to local area newspapers. Both like to write about pro-life causes and responses to current events. A letter to the editor Jan Lenz wrote (she was Jan Platz at the time) to the New Ulm Journal caught Fred Lenz’s eye, and he wrote a positive response back.

“That’s how we started to get acquainted,” he said. “She answered me back a couple of times. I sent her a picture of myself with my 78th grandchild so she knew what I looked like.”

Fred Lenz then invited her to his 89th birthday party at the BnL Bar in August of 2023. Jen Lenz said it wasn’t easy, as she had never gone to a bar to meet someone before.

“I’ve never done that before,” she said. “My husband died about three and a half years ago. I never had a notion or a thought that I’d like another man or anything. I lived in a patio home association, so a lot of old people. I thought “Well I’ll just sit back here and wait till I die like all the other ones.'”

Photo by Lenses Upon Lenz Photography Inc. Fred and Jan Lenz stand in the middle of their extended family at their wedding. They opted for a big wedding, as 280 family members and friends attended the ceremony.

The two hit it off, sharing an interest in cathedrals and altars. The first trip they went on was to see the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption and the altar that won first place at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in West Bend, Iowa.

From that day on, Fred and Jan Lenz made an effort to see each other every day. Fred Lenz said it felt like building a life, as their knowledge and love for each other grew and grew with each meeting. Commuting from St. James, he said his relatives began to notice all of the trips.

“One time [my son] went to change the oil in my pickup and he said ‘Dad you put 3,000 miles on it in three weeks,” Fred Lenz said. “It was worth every moment of it to do something like that.

One time when they were on a trip to Iowa, Jan Lenz said she was napping while Fred Lenz was driving. He noticed she looked cold, and she was awoken when he stopped at a four-way stop, got out, and walked over to her side of the car.

“He comes over and opens the door,” Jan Lenz said. “He took off his jacket and laid it over the top of me. He said ‘You must be cool.’ An act of kindness, he doesn’t just say good things he does good things.”

Photo by Lenses Upon Lenz Photography Inc. After communicating through letters to the Journal, Fred and Jan Lenz agreed to meet for the first time in the BnL Bar. Jan Lenz said it was a little nerve-wracking, as she had never been to a bar before.

The pair announced they were getting married to their respective families at Christmas. Jan Lenz said they had thought about the possibility before either of them asked the question.

“We had talked about getting married for some time,” she said. “We thought about if we did, where would we live, stuff like that. Finally, I said to him, ‘You know what? You didn’t really even officially ask me.’ He said ‘Oh, I didn’t? Okay.’ And he asked me right away.”

At first, they differed on what type of wedding they wanted. Jan Lenz wanted a smaller one, while Fred Lenz wanted a larger one. Ultimately, they ended up with 280 family members attending the wedding on April 27. Jan Lenz has six children, while Fred Lenz has nine. With all of their grown children and grandchildren, they said they had plenty of help with the wedding.

Neither of them were looking for love. Both had been married for 60+ and missed their partners dearly after they had passed. While Fred Lenz said he fell harder and faster than Jan Lenz did, they agreed they found something special in each other.

“When you fall in love with a beautiful woman, nothing else counts,” he said.

Photo by Lenses Upon Lenz Photography Inc. After the wedding Fred and Jan Lenz are driven away in a 1950 Chrysler, letting everyone know they had just got married. Both said they weren’t looking for love, but found it anyway.

“He not only speaks the truth and says loving things, he shows it and he lives it,” she said. “He’s a good man. He tries to help everybody. He has donated [so much] to charities and churches.”

As for what’s next, they both agreed they hope to spend at least 10 years with each other. Fred Lenz continues to work as the president of the St. James Bus Service. They both still plan to continue writing in to local newspapers. They also left the door open to potentially writing letters together.