They met each other in midlife and found the best was yet to come

HINGHAM − In their late 40s, Al Meserve and Edna Phillips discovered the best part of life was yet to come.

Alone again, divorced with children, they happened to run into just the right person − each other − at the Bridgewater library.

Within a few weeks, the athletic electrician who had played semi-pro football and the independent-minded high school math teacher began building a future together.

Al was 51, Edna 48 when they were married a year later on Valentine's Day in 1987.

"They really didn't have true joy until they met each other," Joe Meserve, 48, of East Bridgewater, Al's younger son, said. "They didn't take their marriage for granted and saw it as a second chance."

They loved adventure and they loved each other

Joe was the youngest of their five children, ages 11 to 24. The new siblings all got along, "a super-pleasant surprise for everyone," Bruce Phillips, 58, of Lowell, Edna's son by her first marriage, said. "Mom and Al loved adventure. They loved being active. They loved the outdoors. And most of all, they loved each other."

Al and Edna shared the next 36 years in an organized whirl of hiking, biking, trips in Al's Piper Archer plane, gardening, watching the Patriots and enjoying their home on Lake Nippenicket on the Bridgewater-Raynham line.

Only when health problems caught up with them last year did they sell the house they loved. In July 2022, they moved to an apartment at Linden Ponds Senior Living Community in Hingham. Al's diabetes, which they both had controlled well for years, was getting worse. Edna had mild but progressive dementia.

They had several good months at Linden Ponds with strong family support. Edna, always a take-charge woman, insisted on caring for Al in their apartment as long as she could, to the point of exhaustion. In the spring, Al was moved to the Linden Ponds nursing facility next door; she walked over to visit him daily.

They died within three months of each other − Al at age 88 on July 2; Edna at age 84 on Oct. 11.

Edna had an apparent stroke the night Al died or early the next morning. She lingered in the hospital, a hospice home and assisted living.

"The last 3½ months were a cascade" of challenges, Bruce said.

The couple who were always up to something left behind a large circle of friends and family who feel fortunate to have known them and to have seen how "a great team" enjoyed later life.

"I called it 'intentional living,'" Joe Meserve said. "They put their relationship first and they made choices so they could have the resources to live the life they wanted. They took control of what they could."

While the four oldest siblings were on their own, 11-year-old Joe moved into their Raynham home, where a favorite saying was, "A place for everything and everything in its place."

"Wake up. We're all riding to the (Cape Cod) canal for breakfast."

With humor, he recalled being 13, awakened on a weekend to the news that "We're all riding to the (Cape Cod) canal for breakfast," and grumbling as he pedaled the 30 miles there.

As a child, he found the scheduled routines to be regimented.

"Now, as an adult, I admire it," he said. "There was no junk drawer in our house. The house was like an operating room − so organized, even if you popped in by chance."

For Bruce, who was 10 years older, "They were both honest and were who they appeared to be. It was hard work to create a nice life and they made it a priority. They would ask, 'What can we do to make tomorrow a better day?' That was the lesson they taught. A lot of us forget to do that."

Opposites in some ways, each made life richer for the other.

If Al was more passive at home, he also hit his stride when Edna ran the household. Edna found a new level of socialization through Al.

Bruce and Joe described her as sharp-minded, fun, a fast thinker. Al, always a gentleman, was also very curious, constantly learning and should have been on "Jeopardy," Joe said. Both loved to read.

While Al was more athletic, Edna also liked to hike and bike. A photo of Al at 25 shows him water-skiing in the Catskills with a beautiful young woman on his shoulders. He had played semi-pro football in 1953.

Photos of Edna and Al years later show them biking in the countryside, hiking in the mountains, flying to Nantucket for lunch or to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for an air show. They rode together in several Narragansett Bay Wheelmen 100-mile rides.

"The cool thing about Al is he was incredibly outgoing," Bruce said. "My mom was great with people but not as open as Al. She was whip-smart, a hard worker and super-organized about mundane things. Al was a gift to her, no question, in meeting people, getting out and exploring the world."

Albert Charles Meserve was born in Bridgewater on April 25, 1935, and graduated with the Class of 1953 from Bridgewater public schools (the Academy Building). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953 to 1957 and became a lifelong Mason.

He and his first wife, Georgina, raised three children − Brian, Beth and Joseph − in Bridgewater, where he worked for the Meserve Electric Co., becoming co-owner with his brother Carl and retiring in 2000. He loved water-skiing, got his pilot's license and joined the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Edna May Conant was born in Concord on Feb. 1, 1939, and grew up in Littleton, where she raised Angus cattle as a member of the 4-H Club. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physical science. She later obtained a master’s degree in education from Bridgewater State College and taught mathematics at Norton High School for more than 30 years. She retired in 2000.

She and her first husband, Paul Phillips, raised two children, Tracy and Bruce, in Raynham. She also was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and with Al summited Mount Washington and other peaks in the White Mountains.

Meticulous, mellow and masters of their game plans

Edna ran the household with a nervous energy and could be stubborn. Al was mellower. They shared having a meticulous game plan. They did Al's blood sugar checks together. On their plane trips, they both did flight checks together and highlighted the routes on a map.

While Edna stopped cycling in her 70s, Al was out riding his bike every day around Bridgewater into his mid-80s. He was also beloved by a group of other senior cyclists led by Rachel Thibeault, of Brockton. That is where I got to know Al, who always liked to compare weekly mileage and taught me about Middleboro and Bridgewater history.

"Al had such knowledge of the roads, I always felt safe in knowing we couldn't get lost when he rode with us," Rachel said. "He led some wonderful bike rides for many years in the group.

"And his kindness in keeping us safe on the roads by informing us of the cars (calling out "car back!!") endeared me from the first time I rode with him. He was always a gentleman. Never an unkind word."

Joanne Staniscia, 94, of Franklin, recalled how Al would often ride beside her.

"Al was the kindest and most caring person I've ever had the pleasure to have known and to have had as a friend," Joanne said. "When Al was there and we were trying to pass each other on the hills, it was a perfect day. I will always remember those days and smile."

Retired teacher and coach Ed Fopiano, of Middleboro, got to know Al when Ed joined the Appalachian Mountain Club 20 years ago. They carpooled to hikes, and when he dropped Al off at home, he was invited in for lemonade on the patio by the lake.

"It was a beautiful setting and they took much pride in meticulously maintaining their grounds," Ed said. "Edna had a large vegetable garden and beautiful flower gardens as well.

"Both Al and Edna had an easygoing manner and homespun sense of humor," Ed said. "I enjoyed their company, conversation and positivity. They were complementary to each other in many ways."

Edna and Al were mostly able to make their own choices until the end. Edna fought to hold on to what had been; Al found aging easier to accept.

The week before he died, no longer able to walk and in a wheelchair, Al got outdoors to enjoy one more game of shuffleboard and a visit to Nantasket Beach.

"He never suffered with anxiety about getting older," his son Joe said. "He always focused on what he could still do, rather than what he couldn't."

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Al and Edna Meserve, opposites, found true joy when they met each other