W ho is that guy?&rdquo; 13-year-old Kathy Mahoney asked a friend, when she saw a handsome boy cruising by the city swimming pool.</p><p> &ldquo;Michael Lazio,&rdquo; her friend said. It was the summer of 1962 in the small town of Ellsworth, Kan. Michael had been away at seminary/boarding school for a year, and Kathy did not recognize him.</p><p> Kathy developed a quiet little crush on Michael.</p><p> &ldquo;But I didn&rsquo;t think about her,&rdquo; recalls Michael, who was then 15. </p><p>In November, he saw her walking around town and noticed how cute she looked. He decided to ask her out. Their two families knew each other, so her parents agreed to the date.</p><p> &ldquo;I was excited,&rdquo; Kathy says.</p><p>Michael and Kathy walked to the movies then sat on Kathy&rsquo;s porch swing and talked. </p><p>&ldquo;By the end of the evening, I knew he would be my boyfriend,&rdquo; Kathy says. &ldquo;He was sweet and cute, and he really talked to me.&rdquo; </p><p>&ldquo;I fell in love with Kathy that night,&rdquo; Michael says. &ldquo;She was charming, and I was really comfortable with her. I knew she would be in my life.&rdquo;</p><p>They dated for a year, then Michael&rsquo;s family moved to Salina, Kan. Michael occasionally came to visit Kathy. But his dad found out and forbid him to see her. He didn&rsquo;t think they were ready for a serious relationship.</p><p>&ldquo;We were both heartbroken,&rdquo; Kathy says.</p><p>After he graduated from high school, Michael enlisted in the Marine Corps. He saw Kathy several times before going off to boot camp. Several times, he asked her to marry him, and she always said no. She thought she was too young.</p><p>Michael was sent to Vietnam. On leave, he finagled an airline ticket and went to Salina, where Kathy worked as a scrub nurse. Michael showed up at Kathy&rsquo;s hospital. She was shocked. They hadn&rsquo;t seen each other in two years. </p><p>They spent the evening hanging out and talking. When Michael suddenly proposed marriage again, Kathy surprised them both by saying yes. </p><p>They were married June 14, 1969. Today, the couple lives in Platte City. They have three children and eight grandchildren. Michael recently retired from the insurance industry and is senior pastor at Bethel House of Prayer of Platte City. Kathy is very involved with the church as well. They like to travel and shop for antiques, and they love spending time with their children and grandchildren and people in their church.</p><p>&ldquo;Kathy is beautiful, intuitive and a good communicator,&rdquo; Michael says. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s the love of my life.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very romantic, caring and tender man,&rdquo; Kathy says. &ldquo;Saying yes to his impromptu proposal is the best thing I ever did.&rdquo;