DECATUR - Even though it was a 41-year journey, Linda and Rich Parsons completed the circle, just as their newly exchanged wedding rings symbolized.

It only took about 20 minutes for the Rev. Dave Taylor to introduce the newly married couple following a ceremony Monday in First Congregational United Church of Christ.

The former Decatur residents were first married on the same date, at the same time and in the same place in 1965. For this second wedding, Rich Parsons even had the same best man: John Rea, now of The Dalles, Ore. Linda Parson's matron of honor was longtime friend Terry Claussen of Holdrege, Neb.

This was not a renewal of vows ceremony.

After the couple met at the home of a mutual friend - Rich Parsons was a student at Eisenhower High School, Linda at MacArthur High School - they dated for about 11/2 years.

"We divorced in July 1969," Rich said.

"But we were separated in the summer or fall of 1967," added Linda Parsons.

They drifted apart.

He went to Tampa, Fla., to the University of South Florida and stayed working in Florida as a mechanical engineer for Marin Marietta. He retired in May of this year. He never remarried.

She did remarry, but, "I'm not proud of that move." Linda Parsons worked for Jewel/Eisner in Champaign, then moved to Arkansas, where she owned a gift shop from which she retired.

So how did they reconnect?

Linda Parsons was doing genealogy and happened across information that his father, mother and brother had died.

"I felt like I owed him a phone call."

But even paying the fee for an extended Internet search didn't yield enough information. Remembering Rich's best man, Linda Parsons went through the Decatur phone book and called those with the same last name. It was the last call that put her in touch with John Rea, whose response to her call was, "You're kidding!"

Continuing her quest, Linda Parsons found out that not only was Martin Marietta now Lockheed Martin, but there were two campuses in the area. For which, she was asked, did Mr. Parsons work?

Linda Parsons had no clue. Nor does she know how she got the correct number for him when she asked for "Richard Parsons." At work, he'd always been known as "Paul Parsons."

She initially lost her nerve to call, but the next morning, she said, "I grabbed myself by the boot straps and dialed the number, thinking 'You need to rehearse something.' "

Instead, she asked, "Why didn't I get flowers on our 40th wedding anniversary?"

"I scraped myself off the ceiling," said Rich Parsons.

They talked, continued talking, met and made extended visits and knew by the end of the year, they'd hit it off again.

"He asked me to marry him on New Year's Eve, just like he did 40 years ago. Then on Valentine's Day, I got my ring, just like I did 40 years ago.

"Then we decided to re-create Aug. 21, 1965."

This time, they had a Decatur reception at the home of Ron and Laura Brown, her brother and sister-in-law, and plan a Florida reception in September.

"There's a lot of divine intervention here," said Linda Parsons. "The first time we laid eyes on each other (since 1975) was when he got off the plane.

"He sounds the same, looks the same to me, too. I still see the same 20-year-old," she said pausing.

"Now's your turn to say?' she teased.

"If nothing else, we have a lot of fun," Rich Parsons came back.

"It's going to be a good rest of our lives."

Arlene Mannlein can be reached at amannlein@herald-review.com or 421-6976.