60 years later, this Phoenix couple found each other, and love, thanks to Facebook
Armando Reyes had been retired for more than 20 years, living in Las Vegas. He had an illustrious career in the security force for a school district in Clark County where he eventually became chief. He brushed shoulders with celebrities like Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Julio Iglesias when they would visit to give motivational speeches to the students.
Reyes, or Dan as most people know him, supported his family with his career. His kids were grown up, with careers and families of their own, while Dan became a widower after his wife passed around 2018.
In his early 70s, he was living alone when the pandemic hit. During that time he found the Facebook group Arizona Barrio Stories, an online space dedicated to preserving the history of Arizona’s barrios.
Dan grew up in what used to be the Golden Gate neighborhood in Central Phoenix during the 1950s. He kept photos from that time, memories of his childhood — he was the family historian. One photo, that he always kept within reach, was a classroom photo.
The shiny gloss paper read, “SKIFF SCHOOL, MR. BUTOLA, 7th Grade, 1958 1959.” On it was a picture of 13-year-old Dan. Next to him was Ramona.
By coincidence, that year's class photo had placed him right next to his childhood crush.
“Well, maybe this is a good avenue to take to find Ramona," Dan thought, "so I posted this.” He points to the class photo. “I said, ‘Does anybody know the whereabouts of Ramona?’”
Ramona saw the post the next day.
In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Dan and Ramona shared how after meeting in grade school, they reconnected nearly 63 years later, forging a love story that developed with the help of social media.
Reconnecting in a digital space
Ramona Barraza was the new girl at Skiff School.
Located on 16th Street and Buckeye Road, Skiff was the neighborhood school for many kids in Golden Gate. Ramona’s family had moved around the Valley, eventually finding a home in this neighborhood, just in time for school to start in August of 1958.
Her family home, located a street away from the school, on 16th Place, shared an alley with Dan’s house. On the way back home from school, Ramona would see Dan coming up “the hill” as she describes it.
What she didn't know was that Dan had developed a crush on her.
Decades later, also in her early 70s and living in Maryvale, Ramona joined the same Arizona Barrio Stories Facebook group after seeing her cousins were members. She had seen the group before and was interested in what people were sharing.
“I was just going through the posts and then I saw what he had put in there,” she said, describing seeing Dan’s post for the first time. “'That looks like Danny', and sure enough.” She was surprised by his post, but sent him a friend request.
The two messaged back and forth. He asked her where she lived. Phoenix, she wrote. He said he used to live off 16th Street and Buckeye Road.
“I said, ‘I know I used to live across the alley from you,’ and he said ‘I thought it was you,’” Ramona recalled their earliest messages. Then they exchanged phone numbers. Dan wanted to call her, but Ramona wasn’t ready yet.
“Maybe like half an hour later, I guess. I finally called him and we got on the phone — five hours straight. Catching up on old times,” she said.
A proposal captured by Arizona Barrio Stories
Dan and Ramona’s story had been widely followed by members of Arizona Barrio Stories. Dan’s post had caught many people’s attention — he would post updates on his search, their reconnecting and their eventual first date.
Irma Payan, who helps preserve barrio stories by hosting a show interviewing members of the Arizona Barrio Stories community, invited Dan and Ramona on her show. After months of people following their story, this was the first time they got to hear from the couple.
In the video posted on Arizona Barrio Stories' Youtube channel and Facebook group, they share a bit about themselves — what it was like growing up in Golden Gate and some of their childhood memories of each other. As Payan is about to close the interview, Dan shuffles a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to her.
The handwritten note read, “I am going to propose to Ramona. Right now. Ok?”
The excitement on Payan’s face is visible in the video as Dan clears his throat. He leans over as he pulls a longer sheet of paper. He reaches for Ramona’s hand.
“Ramona Valenzuela-Barraza, the first time I saw you in the seventh grade at Skiff School, my heart went pitter-patter.”
Ramona begins to shed tears.
“I kept that to myself for 63 years. As we got older, you went your way and I went my way. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we both ended up a widower and a widow facing life's challenges by ourselves. Thanks to Arizona Barrio Stories we found each other 16 months ago and we have been together, heart and soul, ever since,” Dan says.
He had given Ramona a promise ring a few months prior. He intended for it to be an engagement ring. During the interview, he asked Ramona if she would marry him. She accepted.
The crew taping the interview is heard breaking out into applause and laughter. As Payan closes the interview, Dan is heard coughing as he struggles to catch his breath.
“She literally took my breath away,” Dan later said in an interview with The Republic, joking about the whole situation.
Dan had an asthma attack from all the emotions. He had forgotten to bring his inhaler, so the paramedics were called. Thankfully, he was okay.
A love story 63 years in the making
The wedding was held on Feb. 4, 2023, at the American Legion Post 41 in the Grant Park neighborhood, just south of downtown Phoenix.
“It was supposed to be for Valentine's. But we had to move it because they were going to have a Valentine's Day dance,” Ramona said. The Legion is a popular spot for community events for the community, particularly for those who live in Golden Gate. “That's why we did it on the fourth, but we still have the colors that I wanted.”
Red was the color for the wedding. Dan wore a tuxedo with a red vest and red tie. Ramona wore an off-white, beige, lace wedding dress.
Family members across the country traveled to Phoenix to witness the special occasion. Many of them were a part of the ceremony, including great-grandchildren and grandchildren. Ramona was walked down the aisle by all four of her sons. They passed her down one by one, from youngest to oldest, getting her to the altar where Dan waited for her.
Ramona remembered holding back tears, “I thought I was gonna start crying but I didn't. Danny did,” she said with a laugh.
When it was time for their first dance as husband and wife, only one song could capture the story of their love. “Let It Be Me,” by The Everly Brothers released in 1959.
“I bless the day I found you/I wanna stay around you/Now and forever, let it be me,” the melody croons, a song that brings them back to Mr. Butola’s seventh-grade class.
Have a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @raphaeldelag.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Facebook post helps Phoenix man reconnect with childhood crush
