Every love story is different—whether it began across the world or in your own backyard. Four Rochester-area residents share the moments and memories that shaped their journeys of falling in love.
Stephen Cataldi: Near & Far
For Webster native Stephen Cataldi, a second chance at love began when he met Carol Coleman on a Facebook speed-dating app. She was living in New York City; he was in Rochester, and a long-distance relationship followed. In October 2009, while playing Christopher Columbus in Rochester’s Columbus Day parade, he asked Carol—cast as Queen Isabella—to marry him at the Liberty Pole. By July 2010, they were married, and Carol soon moved to Rochester, where Cataldi credits her free spirit for inspiring adventure, travel, and creative support.
Ellen Brenner: In Step Together
Ellen Brenner of Rochester knew of David “Boots” Boutillier through their competitive running circles—“he was really fast, and he always won,” she says. But it was at a singles party Brenner hosted, when a friend brought Boutillier along, that a spark ignited. On their third date, Brenner became seriously ill and was hospitalized, and Boutillier stayed by her side for all nine days, sleeping in a chair next to her bed. “How do you let go of that?” she says. “You don’t. You keep it.” Four months later, they were engaged, and within a year, married. Today, the couple proudly owns Fleet Feet, their shared love of running (and each other) fueling both their life and work.
Jienna Korzinski: Childhood to Forever
Jienna Korzinski first met Rick Korzinski in 1990 at School 46. Each morning, she and Rick stood at the same door waiting to go inside—she in first grade, he in second. After attending different middle and high schools, they reconnected years later on Instant Messenger.
“It was puppy love, but the only guy I ever felt butterflies for and to this day, he still says the same about me. We were young and silly, so we went our separate ways and reunited in 2005 at Soho nightclub downtown. He came over the next day and never left,” she says. “We kept finding our way back to one another. We both never stopped caring about each other and somehow we kept crossing paths.”
Jennifer Costello: Love in the Halls
When Jennifer Costello started teaching English at East Irondequoit Middle School, she received a note from a fellow teacher annoyed at her frequent use of the printer. Since she was upset, a colleague encouraged Sean to apologize. “That first conversation led to flirty emails and hallway banter,” she recalls. A week later, Sean sent a student with a note: “Will you go out with me? Check one: yes, no, maybe.” Jennifer checked “maybe,” unsure if he was serious. The next day, he took her out for a “spot of tea,” nodding to her English roots—and they’ve been together ever since.
Over 20 years, they’ve faced challenges together, including Sean receiving a kidney transplant, and have become wedding officiants together, even officiating ceremonies for their former students. “We’re very good at supporting each other and stepping up when needed,” she says.