Cruising the seas of life: The Adamses met on Panama Canal cruise and have piloted a great love story ever since

When Tony met Judy on a cruise ship in the Panama Canal, that ocean liner became their own “Love Boat,” much to their surprise.

In 2014, Judy Oke set out on an adventure – her first cruise.

“I’d always wanted to go on a Panama Canal cruise,” she said. “My uncle piloted ships through the canal.”

The retired hairdresser/beauty shop owner from Port Orchard, Washington, had been widowed for eight years. She enjoyed a busy life filled with family, church and volunteer activities.

A seasoned cruiser friend agreed to accompany her on her maiden voyage. One afternoon, as they left the laundry room, they ran into a tall Texan.

Tony Adams introduced himself by saying he was from Houston and had served in the Navy.

His love of cruising began in the Navy. He was aboard the USS Long Beach’s historic journey as the first nuclear-powered surface ship to circumnavigate the globe.

When he left the Navy, he took a job with IBM in Houston. The company provided technical support to NASA for the Space Shuttle program. He went from sailing the seas to sending astronauts into space.

After retiring in 2011, he took to the seas again – this time aboard cruise liners.

The morning after bumping into him by the laundry room, the ladies ended up across from him at the breakfast table. After that, they continued to bump into each other – on a tender filled with cruisers returning from a tour, on a bus ride along the Oregon Coast and finally on a walk along the dock in Vancouver.

“We decided to ask him to join us for dinner on the last night of the cruise,” Judy said. “He had a great sense of humor and seemed happy with his retired life of cruising.”

Her friend snapped a picture of the pair, and when Judy returned home, she emailed it to him. That initial correspondence quickly turned into long phone conversations.

When Judy moved from Port Orchard to Spokane Valley, Tony flew from Houston and drove the U-Haul.

He’d been divorced for several years and felt content with his solo travel-filled life. When he met Judy, he realized what he’d been missing.

“I waited for somebody else, and it was her,” he said.

Judy thought she’d be happy to be single for the rest of her life.

“He changed my mind,” she said. “He has such a good sense of humor. You have to laugh at this age!”

On her first visit to see him in Houston, Tony met her with a huge bouquet of yellow roses. On her second trip, he met her with pink roses.

“It’s hard not to get excited about a guy who treats you so nicely,” she said.

Tony came to Spokane to see Judy for her birthday in April 2015 and proposed over dinner at Anthony’s.

Fittingly, on May 23, 2015, they married at sea aboard the USS Battleship Texas, the only surviving U.S. naval ship to have served in both World War I and World War II.

Tony was part of the effort to restore the 100-year-old vessel.

“He planned the whole wedding,” Judy said. “All I had to do was buy a dress!”

Their honeymoon? A European River cruise on the Danube, the Main and the Rhine. Until the coronavirus pandemic, the couple went on a cruise every January.

They’re both 82, but Judy is 10 months older. When asked if she’s the boss, Tony laughed.

“No way!” he said.

Dementia has stolen some of his memories, but when a question about their marriage stumps him, he turns to her and gives her a slow wink.

He did have a ready answer for what he most appreciates about Judy.

“She’s fun!” he said – and then he winked at her again.

They both enjoy being on the go, and their move to an independent senior living community has allowed them to stay active.

“We love the outdoors,” Judy said. “We do activities every day, and walk the halls and take the stairs.”

Though a shipboard romance wasn’t anything she’d ever imagined for herself, she’s thankful for the adventure.

“He’s about the sweetest person I’ve ever known,” Judy said. “God really blessed me.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.