OCEANSIDE — It’s normal for someone to ask their mother’s thoughts before proposing marriage, which is why 80-year-old Ignacio Garcia asked his 100-year-old mother, Mrs. Garcia, before he proposed to his 80-year-old fiancée, Lina.
“Yes, mijo,” his mother said. “It’s a good time to do it.”
Ignacio, a resident at The Hacienda Mission San Luis Rey, a senior retirement community on the campus of the historic Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, first met Lina when she was a part-time employee at the Mission while eating lunch at the coffee shop.
He happened to overhear a conversation she was having about where she grew up. As it turned out, he grew up 20 miles from her, but they had never met until then.
Soon, Ignacio started coming to the Mission cafe more often, and a courtship between the two followed.
Ignacio and Lina were married on Aug. 15. The Hacienda provided a horse-drawn carriage to bring the couple from the Mission church down to The Hacienda after the ceremony.
Ignacio Garcia is the first resident to get married from The Hacienda Mission San Luis Rey retirement community. While Executive Director Mariano Perez is thrilled for the couple, he said he isn’t surprised.
“Love never retires. Our approach to senior living is to create a community where people thrive and follow their passions. When you combine that with the location of the Hacienda, among golden hills and the beautiful Mission, the effect is simply enchanting,” Perez said. “It was only a matter of time before love made a match in our community. We’re thrilled with Ignacio and Lina’s new life together.”
