From foreign war to life on the beach, the Lanes reflect on love

It was a December morning in France in 1945 when Arthur Lane laid eyes on a beautiful, blonde French girl.

Arthur was dressed to the nines that Sunday morning, joined by two of his fellow Army officers as they strolled along a promenade. As their eyes caught sight of not one, but three gorgeous gals, a small dog made its way over to Arthur.

He picked it up and soon enough, one of the young ladies made her way over to the soldiers.

“Can I have my doggie back?” the young woman asked in her strong accent and mix of French and English.

“No,” Arthur said. “Unless you come to have an aperitif.” She reluctantly agreed to the pre-lunch drink, mostly because her friends were interested, and recovered her pooch Toots.

He was smitten. She was curious enough to go.

Genevieve joined Arthur and the others for a drink, thinking he was nice enough, but she was really following her friends' lead on accepting the invite, she said. She was already engaged to a French man, and didn't think too much of the get-together after she was dropped off at her home.

Neither thought they'd be sharing this story 70 years later.

A few days after their first drink, Arthur showed up at her house. Genevieve's mother invited him to dinner, and the two 24-year-olds began going out every night. Arthur was lucky enough to be stationed in France near his new love.

But World War II had just ended, and Arthur was transferred to Berlin with the military police, tasked with keeping the Russians out of the American sector. Soon, he was able to secure a visit back to France to see his new love, but he fell ill from a serious reaction to a flu shot.

Genevieve stayed by his side in the hospital in Paris. When Arthur recovered, the two went out to dinner. As they were standing on the metro, he casually asked her to marry him.

“I didn't know what to say,” she said, recalling her shock. “We weren't standing next to each other, and the metro was very crowded.”

But after speaking with her mother, and having a conversation with her soon-to-be husband, she finally said yes.

Arthur and Genevieve, known as Gyne to friends and family, celebrated their 70th anniversary April 18, and while their lives haven't been a fairy tale, time spent by each other's sides has definitely brought them closer.

“The marriage stayed because we love each other,” Gyne said, still in a very strong French accent. “But also, you have to be very patient. But I'm not.”

After the war, Arthur suffered from PTSD, long before it was a recognized disorder. His struggle, coupled with the culture shock Gyne experienced after coming to the United States as a new bride, challenged the marriage.

But they never gave up.

“It was a long adjustment. Thank God it's finally adjusted,” Arthur said with a sweet chuckle.

Arthur was still in Europe with the Army when Gyne first arrived in the states. She knew very little English, but she was greeted and picked up by a new brother-in-law.

When Arthur returned, the two began to settle into a new life near Washington, D.C. They got an apartment and began making their own little family. Arthur and Gyne had two children – a son, Steve, and a daughter, Holly – whom they loved taking on trips to the Delaware beaches whenever they could.

Rehoboth Beach was their favorite spot. They would settle into the sand and watch their children play.

“I love the beach, and in France, I was on the beach every day,” Gyne said. But the Rehoboth they frequented in the 1960s was very different from the Rehoboth Beach they know today, she said.

“Grotto was just a little thing,” she said. “It's like night and day. Rehoboth was a small town.”

It was limited and quiet, Arthur added, as they recollected days of Gyne riding her bike around town with another little doggie in the basket or carefree evenings spent at the Henlopen Hotel bar.

But until 2012, Arthur still worked in D.C. and Maryland with jobs that spanned both taking over his father's liquor store business and financial services. His French bride enjoyed their quaint Cape Region home as often as she could, and the two finally settled in full time after Arthur retired.

Sitting at their dining room table, looking at photographs of a young soldier and his beautiful bride, the Lanes reflect on what they've learned throughout 70 years of unity.

“The magic that was there initially is still there,” Arthur says. “I still love her. She's been a loyal, friendly person and my one and only turn-on for 70 years.”

Gyne's eyes light up with joy at her husband's words. “Years ago, I had to be very patient,” she said, with love and candor. “Now he's much easier to live with.”