When researching family history, one of the first things that people wonder is, “How did grandma and granddad meet?” We posted some stories on February 7. 2023. This post includes four more stories about how our relatives met their mates.
Dianna (Lehr) Phillips explains how she met her Valentine, Al Phillips, June 22, 2024Al and Dianna Phillips Northwestern State University Yearbook 1968Jay Smith explains how he met his Valentine, Laura, June 22, 2024Julie (Lehr) Utech explains how she met her Valentine, Mark Utech, July 19, 2025Nick Badwey, Jr. explains how he met his Valentine, Cindy, July 19, 2025
I first met Michael in November of 1988. I was Vice President of a small advertising agency, yet the President tasked me to present our advertising and marketing services to Michael’s law firm. Although one of Michael’s partners was friends with my boss, I still ended up being the one assigned to make this cold call. I met Ron, Michael’s partner, and gave my presentation. Ron liked what he saw but said, “You’ll have to talk to Mike because he’s the managing partner and decides these things.” Ron took me to Michael’s office. I was surprised by the soft lighting—none of the overhead lights were on, but Japanese-style lamps softly illuminated the room. It was a nice effect. Ron introduced me, and I must admit, I was instantly impressed. And interested. Michael was nice but reserved. He said he would look over the materials I had left. I did not hear back, and we did not speak again until the Spring of 1989.
About five months after I first met Michael, the advertising agency I worked for was acquired by a larger firm, and I decided against staying on. I went to work for a design studio, where managing new business was part of my duties. I was calling everyone in my Rolodex, and that included Michael at his law firm, to try to generate new clients.
Michael was receptive to making an appointment, so I made my way to his new office. He was my last appointment of the day, and I had had three appointments before his. One of them, for the embryonic Boulevard Brewing Company, involved me schlepping two heavy portfolios of work up two long flights of stairs. The day was warm, I was wearing a suit and heels, and I wanted to wrap up the day.
When I arrived at Michael’s new office, his receptionist was less than friendly. To make matters worse, I had to wait for 20 minutes, which meant our meeting didn’t begin until nearly 4:30. I walked into Michael’s much larger office with lots of windows, and before I could sit down, the first words out of his mouth were, “You’ve put on some weight.” I was taken aback, but I responded with, “Charming. Is this how you greet all your potential vendors?” In the interest of fairness, when I met Michael for the first time, I was severely underweight, so his comment, while still shocking, was true.
Then I proceeded to show him the work the design studio did by presenting our portfolios of samples. He was polite while perusing the work, but I could tell he really was not interested. So, I said, “You’re really not interested in any of this work or our services, are you?” Michael then responded, “No.” I retorted, “Then why did you make this appointment and why are you wasting my time?!” He said, “I wanted to see you again.” I was incredibly pleased with his answer, but tried to remain cool. I then said, “Then why don’t we wrap this up and go grab a beer?”
We went to a popular neighborhood bar (think “Cheers” of downtown Kansas City) where we talked and got better acquainted. I asked him how old he was, and when he told me he was 40 (I was twenty-five at the time), I did not believe him. He looked ten years younger than his age. I demanded to see his driver’s license, and when I saw the date, I said, “Wow, you really ARE 40!” But it did not bother me at all. We had a nice visit, exchanged numbers (home and office numbers, as this was before cell phones), and left about two hours later.
In the interest of space, Michael and I went on our first date on May 9th, 1989. His mother was admitted to St. Luke’s hospital four days afterwards, and she died two weeks later. Michael and I met for a quick dinner during that time, but otherwise, he was at the hospital. After his mother died, he left to go back to his hometown for his mother’s funeral.
We had two more dates after he returned to Kansas City at the end of May. Then, on June 13th, 1989, he proposed. I was a little freaked out, but I accepted, and we were married two and a half months later. It would have been sooner, but there was family in El Dorado and Bethany, MO, to meet. I had to find a dress and secure an appropriate venue for our wedding, among other necessary arrangements that required attention. We were married 36 years before Michael died last year. It was a whirlwind of a courtship, but a long and wonderful marriage.
How We Met
By Meghan (Badwey) Conger
I first met Michael in November of 1988. I was Vice President of a small advertising agency, yet the President tasked me to present our advertising and marketing services to Michael’s law firm. Although one of Michael’s partners was friends with my boss, I still ended up being the one assigned to make this cold call. I met Ron, Michael’s partner, and gave my presentation. Ron liked what he saw but said, “You’ll have to talk to Mike because he’s the managing partner and decides these things.” Ron took me to Michael’s office. I was surprised by the soft lighting—none of the overhead lights were on, but Japanese-style lamps softly illuminated the room. It was a nice effect. Ron introduced me, and I must admit, I was instantly impressed. And interested. Michael was nice but reserved. He said he would look over the materials I had left. I did not hear back, and we did not speak again until the Spring of 1989.
About five months after I first met Michael, the advertising agency I worked for was acquired by a larger firm, and I decided against staying on. I went to work for a design studio, where managing new business was part of my duties. I was calling everyone in my Rolodex, and that included Michael at his law firm, to try to generate new clients.
Michael was receptive to making an appointment, so I made my way to his new office. He was my last appointment of the day, and I had had three appointments before his. One of them, for the embryonic Boulevard Brewing Company, involved me schlepping two heavy portfolios of work up two long flights of stairs. The day was warm, I was wearing a suit and heels, and I wanted to wrap up the day.
When I arrived at Michael’s new office, his receptionist was less than friendly. To make matters worse, I had to wait for 20 minutes, which meant our meeting didn’t begin until nearly 4:30. I walked into Michael’s much larger office with lots of windows, and before I could sit down, the first words out of his mouth were, “You’ve put on some weight.” I was taken aback, but I responded with, “Charming. Is this how you greet all your potential vendors?” In the interest of fairness, when I met Michael for the first time, I was severely underweight, so his comment, while still shocking, was true.
Then I proceeded to show him the work the design studio did by presenting our portfolios of samples. He was polite while perusing the work, but I could tell he really was not interested. So, I said, “You’re really not interested in any of this work or our services, are you?” Michael then responded, “No.” I retorted, “Then why did you make this appointment and why are you wasting my time?!” He said, “I wanted to see you again.” I was incredibly pleased with his answer, but tried to remain cool. I then said, “Then why don’t we wrap this up and go grab a beer?”
We went to a popular neighborhood bar (think “Cheers” of downtown Kansas City) where we talked and got better acquainted. I asked him how old he was, and when he told me he was 40 (I was twenty-five at the time), I did not believe him. He looked ten years younger than his age. I demanded to see his driver’s license, and when I saw the date, I said, “Wow, you really ARE 40!” But it did not bother me at all. We had a nice visit, exchanged numbers (home and office numbers, as this was before cell phones), and left about two hours later.
In the interest of space, Michael and I went on our first date on May 9th, 1989. His mother was admitted to St. Luke’s hospital four days afterwards, and she died two weeks later. Michael and I met for a quick dinner during that time, but otherwise, he was at the hospital. After his mother died, he left to go back to his hometown for his mother’s funeral.
We had two more dates after he returned to Kansas City at the end of May. Then, on June 13th, 1989, he proposed. I was a little freaked out, but I accepted, and we were married two and a half months later. It would have been sooner, but there was family in El Dorado and Bethany, MO, to meet. I had to find a dress and secure an appropriate venue for our wedding, among other necessary arrangements that required attention. We were married 36 years before Michael died last year. It was a whirlwind of a courtship, but a long and wonderful marriage.