A Tulsa woman finds beauty in love and loss this Valentine’s Day

Pat Reynolds faces her first Valentine’s Day without her husband of 47 years. Finding support in a hospice lunch, she plans a long-awaited trip with her granddaughter, keeping love and adventure alive.

Friday, February 14th 2025, 6:51 pm

By: Ethan Wright

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a celebration of love, relationships, and companionship. But it can look a little bit different for those who are grieving. This Valentine’s Day, Pat Reynolds is carrying on a legacy of love and adventure, even without her husband by her side.

For 47 years, Pat and her husband Dale lived an adventurous life together—cycling, hiking, and exploring the world.

“We cycled for over 30 years on a bicycle,” Pat said.

They spent time in places like Rocky Mountain National Park, the Grand Tetons, and Petit Jean State Park—each trip adding another chapter to their story.

“We went from Texas to Kansas over 25 times and we cycled in Denmark, England, France twice,” Pat said.

But this Valentine’s Day, Pat is on a journey that she never wanted to take alone.

“I lost my husband on July 11th,” Pat said.

After nearly five decades of adventure, the road feels different now—empty.

“We’d been married 47 years. Had a wonderful marriage,” Pat said.

Today, Pat joined others at the Sweetheart Hospice Lunch—people who understand the bond of love, but also the weight of loss.

“Valentine’s Day is a time to love and express love and so it’s important to be with other people,” Pat said.

For Pat, Valentine’s Day isn’t about gifts anymore, but about simple gestures of love—like cards, which she still cherishes.

“We really didn’t do gifts anymore, but we did cards,” Pat said.

This year, there weren’t any Valentine cards from Dale but the love continued through someone new—her granddaughter.

Pat and her granddaughter are setting out to finish an adventure to South Carolina in the Spring. It’s a trip that Pat and Dale once dreamed of—a journey to check off one of their bucket list destinations.

Pat says love is still an adventure—even if the journey looks different.

“I try to find the beauty in life and the love in life. And don’t sit and dwell on what you can’t change,” Pat said.

If Pat could sum up her love for her husband in one sentence, it would be, “A wonderful, trusting, and adventurous time.”

Ethan Wright

A Georgia native, Ethan graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a minor in communication studies from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.