Love abounds in the Ozarks: Five local couples share their stories

It is Valentine's Day. Flowers and cards fill the stores, and love is definitely in the air. Every couple has their own special and unique love story, outlining how they found each other, what made them fall in love, and where that love has taken them. This year the Branson Globe reached out to five local couples, asking them to share their personal love stories, in honor of the special holiday.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Clark

Sue Ann O'Neal Clark shared about the special relationship she had with husband Richard Clark.

"Richard said that he fell in love the moment he met me. Me? Not so much," Sue Ann recalled. "We met at an American Cancer Society fundraiser luncheon on May 14, 1994, where attendees would be served by local celebrities: members of the Lennon Family, Tony Orlando was there and others. And, of course, the co-host of the $25,000 Game Show, Richard Clark."

Sue Ann was standing outside the ballroom, visiting with a close friend, Judy Dittmar. Judy suggested that Sue Ann needed to meet a new guy in town, from Hollywood.  

"I turned to look, and there, sauntering in our direction, was a robust fellow, dressed in an orange plaid suit, a bowler hat and boots that I learned were 'Tenny-Lamas,' created for the character of Mr. Game Show, a.k.a. Richard Clark."

That first meeting, according to Sue Ann, didn't go so well. But, Clark was persistent.

"I kept running into Richard in town. He called and called, asking me to go out, and I was never home. I had only given him my landline number," said Sue Ann. 

The two eventually connected. Sue Ann finally agreed to go out with Clark, and the two quickly made up for lost time—with a date that lasted all day, starting with a "get-to-know-you" coffee, which led to tennis and swimming, followed by dinner at Olive Garden.  

"I waited to see if Richard would pray over the meal," Sue Ann explained. "He hesitated at first, waiting for me to pray, and then he blessed our food. He told me in later years that he was testing me, and if I objected, that would be our only date. Truly, our relationship started with the Lord at the top, and our faith would take us through the coming trials."

Sue Ann and Richard embarked on a three-year courtship, followed by a beautiful wedding that was truly the talk of the town, held at the Barbara Fairchild Theater.  

Sue Ann recalled many, many funny stories throughout her marriage, beginning with realizing the day after the wedding that the marriage license wasn't signed and chasing down the minister, who was boating on Table Rock Lake, to take care of that important detail. 

"In the vows of our marriage, we said 'For Better or Worse." We also said 'Til Death Do Us Part.' Parkinson's Disease would overtake his body. It was so hard to see how he would change in the 18 years he lived with it," noted Sue Ann. "He will always be my 'Knight in Shining Armor.' We were married for 26 years, and dated for three, giving us nearly 30 memorable years together. We had a very special love together, and Richard loved my son, Darin, and daughter-in-law, Julie, and was known as Papa Richard to three beautiful grandchildren."

Sue Ann continued, "As in the beginning, prayer was an important part of our marriage, with God at the top. This will be my third Valentine's Day without him. I plan to go to the Olive Garden, where we enjoyed several anniversaries and Valentine's Day dinners, reliving the first one. Judy was right. We fit together like a hand in a glove. And, if you knew Richard, you heard him say ‘Have you met my angel wife?' I love you, Richard. Till we meet again!"

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Alkire

In 1988, Sue Alkire lived in Grand Junction, Colorado. A recently divorced mother of two, Sue's sons would be spending Christmas with their father that year, so Sue decided to get together with her mother and sister to enjoy the holiday. The three would spend Christmas in California, after meeting up in Page, Arizona.

 "I finished my last final at Mesa College and headed to Page," Sue explained. "I hadn't even gotten onto I-70 yet and the coolant light came on in my car. I stopped and put antifreeze in it and continued on my way. In a couple of minutes, the light came on again! I put water in it, as well. I got up onto I-70 and the light came on again. I was mad! I swerved over to the side of the road to try to figure out what to do. At the moment of my swerve, a semi was passing me. The driver called out on the CB radio and asked if I needed help."

The truck driver said he would pull over at the next exit and check to see if the fan belt was loose. Sue followed the truck driver to the next exit and popped the hood, but the Good Samaritan could find nothing wrong with the car. Sue followed the truck ten more miles down the highway, and although the coolant light continued to come on sporadically, the truck driver still found nothing wrong with the car when they stopped. The pair visited at a little cafe for lunch, then the truck driver headed towards California and Sue towards Page—but not before exchanging names and phone numbers. The trucker—Jim—drove through Grand Junction frequently.  

Sue finally made it to Page, left her car with a mechanic and headed to California. After draining the radiator and refilling it, he found nothing wrong with Sue's car—and the coolant light never came on again.  

"Jim and I kept in touch, and got married two years to the day after we met," said Sue.  "The moral of the story? God does work in mysterious ways, and He can even use a beat-up old car as the best blessing ever."

Sue noted that what makes their love special is that the couple laughs—a lot.

"We give each other grace to be human, and we thank God every day for the many blessings in our lives, and for bringing us together," Sue shared. "Jim later told me that he never stopped for anyone alongside the road, but the fact that I swerved made him stop. He said, if I had just pulled off the road, he would have just kept on going. So, I guess my temper, which doesn't come up very often, was quite important for this."

Dr. and Mrs. Dale Smith

Dr. Dale Smith spent the 15 years before moving to Branson working with the Oklahoma Kids program, often described as a Little League of entertainers. During that same time Antonya Robinson (also known as Lady Anne) was managing the project Kids Unlimited, an entertainment program for physically challenged and foster children. The two heard about each other's programs, but never crossed paths.

Dr. Dale and his wife, Carolyn moved to Branson in 1998, where Oklahoma Kids became American Kids. Antonya, a well-known and gifted gospel vocalist, relocated to Branson in 2002. Both Dr. Dale and Lady Anne lost their spouses in 2005. During the next 17 years, Antonya performed as a guest soloist in nearly every church in the lakes area. During the same time frame, Dr. Dale's American Kids could be found performing on stages throughout Branson. Yet, the two never met.

In 2019, a friend of Dr. Dale's invited him to attend Friendly Baptist Church. He attended once and did not return to the church for three years—until May of 2022. The day that Dr. Dale returned to Friendly Baptist Church was the same Sunday that Antonya had been asked to provide special music during the service.

"I heard her sing, and I was moved by her anointed presentation," said Smith. "I met her in the lobby after the service. We chatted briefly, during which time I told her of my association with the Branson Gospel Singers and Songwriters Association (BGSSA). I asked her to come to our monthly meeting and allow us to video three or four of her recordings. She agreed. Later in the month she attended our meeting. We completed the videos. While there she gave me two of her albums."

Smith soon listened to Antonya's albums, feeling the same anointing he had during her live performance. Listening to her songs led Dr. Dale to begin harmonizing with the recordings. He soon called Antonya, asking if the two could perform a duet together. Antonya agreed. The proposed duet led to two things—first, the opportunity for the two to sing together in churches, nursing homes and social gatherings—and, secondly, the chance to spend more time together.

Dr. Dale and Antonya began talking each day and seeing each other often, as they practiced their music, or simply visited, while getting to know each other even better. One day, as the two were practicing, Antonya said to Dr. Dale. "Look, you need to understand something. I don't want a boyfriend. I don't want to be married." Dr. Dale responded with, "That won't keep me from loving you."

"Some months passed and we began to talk about what it would be like to be married," Dr. Dale noted. "We talked at length about every aspect of marriage. We had lived 20 years alone and we both sensed our need for 'alone' time. We both had dreams and goals, things we hoped to accomplish. Finally, Antonya asked me, 'Why do you want to marry me?' I said, 'I have a void in my life, and I know you could fill it.'"

The two parted ways that night, with Antonya promising to pray on the matter. The next morning, after hearing from Dr. Dale, Antonya realized that God truly had heard her prayers, and she agreed to marry Dr. Dale.

Said Dr. Dale, "I shouted, 'Thank you, God, for giving this girl to me!'"

Dr. Dale and Lady Anne married a few days later.

"We were married on October 22, 2022," said Dr. Dale. "Our relationship is solid. We have the same sense of humor. We both grew up in an Assembly of God Church. We love singing duets. We could not feel more blessed. There is nothing that better reflects the fact that God is mindful of us than this story: Antonya, a girl born and raised in California, who moved to Oklahoma then on to Branson, Missouri, where, after years of our two ships passing in the night, in one single hour, we met in God's house."

Mr. and Mrs. Bud Lynn

"Bud and I met on a blind date, July 29, 1967," shared Lynda Lynn. "Because of unexpected circumstances, I did not think we would ever have a second date! So, when he asked me out on a second date, I thought I would give this boy just one more chance. Our second date was to travel from Pittsburg, Kansas, to see the Shepherd of the Hills play. Being from Kansas, I thought, 'Seriously, are you kidding?' It was a four-hour drive, together! Although, after about four interesting hours, we rounded Dewey Bald Mountain to see the Shepherd of the Hills country. As we began to see Inspiration Point in front of us, I immediately felt a very anointed, Holy Spirit feeling. I could hardly understand it, but I knew it was good, for sure. Something very, very special."

On that second date, Bud and Lynda definitely hit it off, and the two were married just nine months later.

"God sure had a plan all along," said Lynda. "Little did we know that we would spend the rest of our lives living in Branson and working at the Shepherd of the Hills. Bud played various roles and starting at 26 years old, he portrayed the shepherd for over 34 years. I worked there for 14 years, until we had our little family. Our son, Jeremy, now portrays the character of Jim Lane, and our granddaughter, Bailey, performs Sammy Lane in the play. God blessed our lives living in the Shepherd of the Hills country now for 57 years on May 25, 2026. We have had some tough times throughout the years, but we know who brings the good times."

Lynda continued, "My love for the Ozarks inspired me to write many songs, recorded by many Branson recording artists, including 'Ozark Mountain Christmas' and 'These Ozark Hills.' The song says 'These Ozark Hills fill my heart with spirit and love. . . granting peace, joy and grace from above.'"

Mr. and Mrs. Berl Best

"Berl and Mary Best's love story began in the most traditional of places: church," explained the couple's daughter, Karen Best, former Branson Mayor and real estate professional. "The two met in East Chicago, Indiana, while Berl was home on a three-day pass from the U.S. Air Force, where he was stationed in Sioux City, Iowa. A simple meeting turned into dating, and soon something deeper began to grow."

Berl and Mary's love story included both distance and sacrifice.

"Berl was later stationed in Alaska as part of his international tour of duty—back when Alaska was not yet a state," Karen explained. "While miles apart, Mary did her best to wait. But, youthful uncertainty and the advice of well-meaning friends led to a brief pause in their relationship when Mary sent Berl a 'Dean John' letter, believing she shouldn't sit around waiting for him."

Thankfully, that chapter in their young lives was short. Their love proved strong and not only did Berl and Mary find their way back to one another, but they were soon talking about marriage.

Said Karen, "Their original wedding date was set for Valentine's Day in 1959, a fitting tribute to their love. But there was one small hitch—Berl wasn't yet 21 and needed written permission from his parents to marry. With that delay, the two exchanged vows on February 21, 1959 instead. This February they will celebrate an incredible 67 years of marriage."

Berl and Mary's love has not faded.  Instead, it has grown deeper, strengthened by time and challenges. Their love is built on mutual respect, caring for one another and choosing each other each and every day. Friends and family often see Berl and Mary holding hands, a testament of their bond.

"In a world that moves fast, Berl and Mary Best remind us that true love is patient, steady and everlasting—making their story the perfect Valentine's Day reminder that some loves really do last forever," said Karen.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."