Navy veterans reconnect across a continent, 4 decades to begin married life in Irwin

Romantic flames that were first sparked more than four decades ago and half a world away recently rekindled between an Irwin woman and a fellow Navy veteran.

Picking up where they left off, Beverly Detofsky and Doug Reichman aren’t wasting any more time. They’re scheduled to exchange wedding vows Monday before District Judge Charles Conway in Export before settling down together in Irwin.

“Forty-five years later, it seems pretty incredible,” Reichman said of his unexpected reunion with Detofsky a few months ago. “She was my first love. We’re convinced God’s fingerprints are all over this.”

“We know a lot more about each other now than we did back then,” Detofsky said. “We’ve each lived a life.”

Detofsky is a proud Irwin native. Born in Topeka, Kan., Reichman moved about with his military family many times while growing up. He finished high school in Great Falls, Mont.

Both 66, they were third class petty officers in their early 20s, each working as a radioman, when they were stationed together in 1977 at Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station in the outback off Australia’s northwest coast.

They shared a love of dancing at the enlisted personnel’s club and quickly became an item.

“She was vivacious and gorgeous and so much fun to dance with,” said Reichman. ”We were just a great fit right from the start.”

Providing radio support for U.S. submarines in the Indian Ocean, “We were out there with no TV and one radio station,” Detofsky said. “The nearest town was 300 miles away.”

“He was happy and always laughing, always wanting to do fun things,” Detofsky said of Reichman. “We were winning dance contests left and right. We would walk in and, sometimes, they would say, ‘Just give them the prize.’ ”

After 18 months together in Australia, Reichman was transferred stateside, and the couple ended up taking a break in their relationship that stretched into decades.

“You just kind of lose contact,” said Reichman, who is divorced with a daughter and grandson. He followed his seven years in the Navy with a civilian career as a long-haul truck driver.

Detofsky, who is widowed with a grown son, retired from the Naval Reserve in 1998 as a chief petty officer and later was a civilian defense worker for many years. She now outranks Reichman, who left the service as a petty officer, and he’s just fine with that.

“She’s the boss,” he said. “I’m very proud of her. She’s amazing.”

Back together

Retired weeks ago as a truck driver, Reichman said, “I drove past Pittsburgh all the time, and I would see the Irwin sign on the turnpike. Life got in the way, but I always hoped (Detofsky) was doing well.”

It took a mutual friend to help Detofsky reconnect with Reichman after they spent most of a lifetime apart.

Detofsky had stayed in touch with fellow Navy veteran and Alaska resident Alfred “Butch” Heasley, who had been Reichman’s roommate at the Australian base, but both had lost track of Reichman.

When Heasley said in March he was anxious to get hold of Reichman, Detofsky conducted an online search for her old boyfriend and had success finding contact information for him that had eluded her in past attempts.

When Reichman got Detofsky’s phone number from Heasley, about 500 hours of long-distance calls ensued, leading up to Reichman’s marriage proposal.

“We talked for over an hour the first time,” Detofsky said. “One day, we talked for nine hours.”

“I told her, ‘We shouldn’t wait 45 years to talk again,’ ” Reichman said.

Many conversations lie ahead for the couple after Monday’s wedding ceremony. Detofsky’s son, Tyler Banash of Pittsburgh, will stand up for Reichman, and Detofsky will be accompanied by her great-niece, Alyssa Hamilton of North Huntingdon.

With many hours spent on the road until recently, Reichman said, “I really hadn’t figured I would get married again. But I discovered you can’t outrun a phone call.”