Evelyn May and Herbert Boutall
Toronto Daily Star, July 14 1938
Here's an article about a May-December romance where the bride was actually named May:
A little digging turned up a genealogy page that provided more details, along with the text from several articles about the couple. I learned:
- The couple were from Athol, Massachusetts. Mr. Boutall's first wife had died in 1936 and Ms. May had left school to become his housekeeper before their romance bloomed.
- The couple married at night, as the bride's family had farm chores to do during the day. The church in which they were married held 100 people; 2000 curious onlookers waited outside during the ceremony.
- When asked why he didn't choose a bride closer to his own age, Mr. Boutall apparently replied, "[When] I buy a piano, I don’t want an antique, I want one that plays."
- The couple stayed together long enough to have two children but separated after five years. Mr. Boutall was eventually convicted of non-support of their children and was placed on two years' probation.
Ms. May married twice more. Her second spouse, a man named David Gerson, was comparatively youthful, as he was nine years older than she; they married on Christmas Day, 1944. They had three children; he passed away in 1960. Her third marriage was to a man nearly fifteen years younger than she was; he outlived her, as she passed away in 2001.
Created September 24, 2025.