Model agency owner Cathy LeDrew thought she would never find her perfect fit – until a friend fixed her up with a fellow Torontonian, Joe Gambino, an engineer who took her from the runway to the altar.
Cathy LeDrew: I’d never been married and was perpetually single. My very demanding job had me out four or five times a week but I never met anyone. Marriage just didn’t seem like it was going to happen for me, and honestly, I was just fine with that.
Joe Gambino: I was married for 20 years and divorced at 50. I’d reconnected with a group of friends I hadn’t seen since grade school. About five years ago, we were all having brunch when my friend’s wife Pat said, “I think I know the perfect person for you.”
CL: I’d like to interject here on behalf of my friend Pat. Pat said the waitress came to the table with drinks and passed them out to the men. Joe, being Joe, gave his drink to Pat and said, “Ladies first.” He was a consummate gentleman and before I knew it, we were in an old-fashioned set-up.
JG: She thought we had similar interests and all kinds of friends who overlapped, which is all true. Our lives kind of intertwined throughout the years but we never met.
CL: Pat sent me an email first with the lowdown. She said, “Listen, if nothing else, you’ll make a new friend.” Luckily, she caught me on a good day and
I was receptive.
JG: So I sent Cathy an email with an abridged version of my life.
CL: It was like a resumé! “Hi, I’m Joe, here’s where I live and here’s my dog.” It was well organized and well laid out; I was impressed. I’d have to look for it, but I think it might have been in point form.
JG: I don’t know about that, but it was certainly efficient. We’re older now, so it’s not just a matter of having fun. Everyone’s set in their lifestyle at this point, so it’s a matter of fit. Fortunately, we did. In fact, we were going to all the same places and travelling in all the same circles. It actually felt weird that we hadn’t met already.
CL: We emailed, then texted, then decided to meet. All of that happened within a week or two.
JG: We went for a little walk with my dog by the Old Mill [in west-end Toronto], and to the pub then for a beer, then grabbed dinner, then took another walk. The “little walk” turned into an eight-hour date. Then Cathy said she planned to hop the subway home. I said no way, it was too late, I’d drive her.
CL: A consummate gentleman, I told you! But I’ve been very independent for a very long time and had no plans to stop and drop everything to see Joe every single day. That month, I went to Vancouver, Chicago and then up north.
JG: I actually loved that. Online dating had always felt so forced, but this was the exact opposite. She didn’t chase me at all.
CL: We met in June and moved in in March, and even then, Joe gave me tons of space to get used to the idea of living and being with someone. As soon as I did, we got married too, which is something I never thought I’d ever do. Now we live right around the corner from where I grew up. It’s such a small world. —As told to Rosemary Counter
Have you had another chance at love? Zoomer wants to hear from you! Send your story and contact information to comment@zoomermag.com to possibly be featured in the magazine.
A version of this article appeared in the Dec 2024/Jan 2025 issue with the headline ‘Later In Love,’ p. 22.
