On March 4, 1961, in Chateauroux, France, Bob Owens saw Ann Calhoon, his former fiancee, marry another man.

It was Owens' 21st birthday.

"I was standing by some bushes, and I saw her come out of the chapel in the white dress," said Owens, now 66. "She never knew it. And I really wanted to know some answers."

The two met in 1959 at the Chateauroux-Deols Air Base, where the 19-year-old Owens was stationed. Calhoon, 17, was a military dependent going to an American high school on base.

That fall, Owens was sitting with friends in the base snack bar when he spotted Calhoon, there with her mother and sister.

"I loved her from the first moment I saw her," Owens said.

Mutual friends introduced them, and they hit it off.

"We had so much fun together," said Calhoon, now 63. "We laughed and kidded around. But it was also very serious and deep. They were feelings I can't describe."

By 1960, the two were engaged, with plans to wed in March 1961. But unbeknownst to Owens, Calhoon's mother didn't approve of the union and forced her to end the engagement.

"So I just stopped seeing him," Calhoon said. "I was afraid of what my mom was going to do. I couldn't tell him. I kept it all to myself."

Heartbroken, they both went their separate ways. In March 1961, Calhoon married another man. Owens was invited to the wedding but didn't attend.

"All the time I was getting married, everyone kept telling me to smile, this is the happiest day of your life," Calhoon said, tearing up. "But I just felt horrible."

Nine months later, Owens moved to Washington, D.C., and Calhoon went back to Georgia. Though married to other people and living separate lives, however, they did not forgot about each other.

"He was my first love," Calhoon said, "my only love."

In 2000 Owens — who had been married twice, both times for 20 years, and retired to West Virginia after working at the Pentagon — logged onto Class mates.com, looking for friends from Chateauroux. More specifically, he was looking for Calhoon. But to no avail.

Then, in October 2004, Owens logged on to the site and saw Calhoon's name.

"I almost fell off the chair," he said, laughing. "I couldn't believe it!"

He quickly sent her an e-mail, to which she didn't reply. But Owens was undaunted.

He wrote her every night for four months.

Finally, in February, he sent her a message he was sure she wouldn't ignore. It was about that afternoon on her wedding day back in France. Calhoon had no idea Owens had seen her that day.

"I just about cried," Calhoon said. "I knew this was the Bob Owens I know and love."

At the time they were both ending long-term marriages. She was living on O'ahu as a mother of four sons; he was living in West Virginia with his second wife. They talked on the phone for hours every day.

In March 2005, they decided to meet. It would be the first time they had seen each other in 44 years.

On the plane ride to visit Owens, Calhoon couldn't contain her excitement.

"I told everybody from Hawai'i clear to D.C.," Calhoon said, smiling.

Owens was waiting for her at the airport with flowers.

"I knew when I saw him standing there that he was my soulmate," Calhoon said.

Owens walked over to her, took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. They spent 11 days together, holding hands the entire time.

"It was like no time had passed," Owens said.

They talked about everything from their marriages to their grandkids. And finally, Owens got to hear the real reason why Calhoon broke off the engagement.

"I had no idea," Owens said.

A month later, in April 2005, Owens flew to Hawai'i to visit Calhoon. When he returned to West Virginia, he put his house on the market. And in July he moved here to be with Calhoon.

"I knew that this was my future," Owens said. "This was what I was going after."

They moved into an apartment in Kailua and spent their time together going to the movies, walking on the beach, fishing and hiking. Owens loves to cook for Calhoon, making homemade breads, pizzas and even pho.

"We just like being together," Calhoon said.

On June 17, the couple married at the Waimanalo Seventh-Day Adventist Church in front of about 50 guests. Calhoon's daughter danced hula for them to the "Hawaiian Wedding Song."

In July, the newlyweds decided to move back to the Mainland. They found a three-bedroom rental in Boise, Idaho, where they both have friends.

Though Calhoon never intended to leave Hawai'i, now that she's with Owens, there's no hesitation.

"I'm not even worried about it," Calhoon said. "The Lord is leading us."

They love telling people the story of how, after 44 years, they found each other again. They hope it will inspire others to follow their hearts.

"Our story offers people hope," Calhoon said. "There was something between us, a strong bond that couldn't separate us ... I'm where I should be. I'm where I should've been."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.