Vault: He found his long lost love after 70 years

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bert Show

Episode Title: Vault: He found his long lost love after 70 years
Air Date: June 23, 2026
Host(s): Bert, Jen (Co-host), Jeff, Jen Hobby, Alyssa, Corey, and callers
Special Guest: Mr. Dial

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Overview

This heartwarming episode centers on the remarkable real-life love story of Mr. Dial, who found and rekindled a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Ms. Vanita Anderson, after over 60 years apart. The episode explores themes of destiny, coincidence, enduring love, and family support with plenty of genuine emotion and humor from The Bert Show cast.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Origin of the Love Story

• Wartime Beginnings (01:37–03:47):

  • Mr. Dial recounts meeting Ms. Anderson during WWII at a war production plant, where he became her supervisor.
  • Quote: “She was the prettiest woman I think I had ever seen at that time. She just absolutely gave me a complete meltdown. But she was married and I was a shy 19 year old, so there was nothing going on except the relationship of a supervisor and an employee.” — Mr. Dial (01:53)
  • They lost contact when he went to serve in the Army in 1943.

• Life Moves On (03:47–04:45):

  • Both Mr. Dial and Ms. Anderson went on to live their separate lives, marrying and raising families.
  • Mr. Dial’s wife passed away after 53 years of marriage; Ms. Anderson had been widowed for over a decade.

2. Miraculous Reunion

• A Sudden Memory & A Newspaper Miracle (03:47–05:35):

  • After 60 years, Mr. Dial suddenly remembers Ms. Anderson’s name while traveling home.
  • Quote: “Just came to me just like a stroke of lightning.” — Mr. Dial (03:44)
  • He finds her name in a letter to the editor in his local newspaper—a huge coincidence described as “two strokes of lightning in the same afternoon.”
  • He contacts the editor who puts him in touch with Ms. Anderson, leading to their first phone call in decades.

• Connecting the Dots (06:09–07:17):

  • The cast marvels at the series of unlikely events—a medical emergency prompts Ms. Anderson’s letter, it gets published the exact day Mr. Dial remembers her.

• First Contact (07:22–08:26):

  • Their first conversation was spent verifying identities and catching up on their lives over two hours.
  • Quote: “The minute I saw her, I knew it was the same lady. She was the same smiling, beautiful, outgoing person she ever was. And there was very little difference in the personality. Of course, we’re 60 years older, but we don’t worry about that.” — Mr. Dial (08:36)

3. Restarting Life Together

• Blending Families & Late-in-Life Marriage (08:26–10:41):

  • They dated for four years before marrying, carefully considering family and caregiving responsibilities.
  • Both families were very supportive.
  • Quote: “We believe in getting married before we move in together.” — Mr. Dial (04:46)
  • Ms. Anderson cares for her 92-year-old blind sister; Mr. Dial eagerly accepts this as part of their new blended life.

• Reflections on Destiny and Joy (09:25–10:54):

  • The cast highlights the story’s movie-like quality and the role of destiny.
  • Mr. Dial shows gratitude for supportive children.

4. Listener Reactions and Notable Moments

• Listener Jules Shares Emotional Response (11:11–11:39):

  • A 28-year-old caller is touched by the story, expressing hope for her own future romance.
  • Quote: “...it’s hard to believe that there is true romance like what, what you’re talking about.” — Caller Jules (11:20)

• Studio Tears and Reflections (11:40–12:36):

  • Multiple studio members and listeners are deeply moved, drawing connections to their own families and highlighting Mr. Dial’s old-fashioned gentlemanly nature.
  • Quote: “I just think about how happy your wife must be looking down on you being happy.” — Jen Hobby (11:44)
  • Quote: “I wonder if they make men like you today.” — Alyssa (12:32)
  • Mr. Dial humbly downplays the praise: “I suppose they’re out there. I’m nothing unusual. I’m just a sort of a regular old Southern guy.” (12:36)

5. Audience Insights on Fate and Coincidence

• Listener Wisdom (13:29–13:55):

  • A caller shares: “Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.” The phrase leaves an impression on the cast.
  • Quote: “There’s no such thing as a coincidence. God is in control and he was in control of that relationship.” — Caller (13:55)

• Lighthearted Cast Banter (13:55–14:30):

  • Bert jokes about using the bumper-sticker wisdom with future dates.
  • Jeff comically riffs on the idea of fate, keeping the tone fun and relatable.

• Additional Listener Stories (14:48–15:23):

  • Another caller, Corey, relates this story to his own experience: “I had the fortunate ability to remarry and my soulmate. And it’s one heck of a great feeling... Congratulations. That’s important for you at that age, man.” (14:48)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “She was the prettiest woman I think I had ever seen at that time. She just absolutely gave me a complete meltdown.”
  — Mr. Dial (01:53)

• “Just came to me just like a stroke of lightning... And the first thing I saw was a letter to the editor from Ms. Vanita Anderson.”
  — Mr. Dial (03:44)

• “I don’t know how so many strange coincidences were strung together all at the same time. See, if any one of these had dropped out, we would never have seen each other.”
  — Mr. Dial (05:24)

• “The minute I saw her, I knew it was the same lady... There was very little difference in the personality. Of course, we’re 60 years older, but we don’t worry about that.”
  — Mr. Dial (08:36)

• “Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
  — Caller Lisa (13:51, repeated by Bert at 13:55)

• “I wonder if they make men like you today.”
  — Alyssa (12:32)

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Emotional Tone and Takeaways

• The tone is deeply sentimental with moments of joy, humor, and gratitude.
• Mr. Dial’s humility and classic values resonate strongly with multiple generations.
• The studio is palpably moved, as are callers of all ages; the story triggers personal reflections about love, fate, and family.
• The cast and listeners alike draw comfort and optimism from the idea that it’s never too late for love.

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Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | 01:37–03:47 | Mr. Dial recounts his first meeting with Vanita Anderson and their separation during WWII | | 03:47–05:35 | Sudden remembrance and miraculous reunion via newspaper letter | | 06:09–07:17 | The many coincidences that brought them back together | | 07:22–08:26 | First phone call and dinner after 60 years apart | | 08:26–10:41 | Blending families, caregiving, and decision to marry | | 11:11–11:39 | Listener Jules shares how the story inspires her | | 11:40–12:36 | Studio reactions and reflections on love, loss, and hope | | 13:29–13:55 | Caller comments on fate and coincidences (“God’s way of staying anonymous”) | | 14:48–15:23 | Another listener relates his own second-chance love story |

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Final Thoughts

The episode stands out as a rare, genuine, and inspiring account of love rediscovered against all odds. It delivers not only a touching narrative but also offers hope and reassurance that romance and happiness can blossom at any age, driven by persistence, destiny, and a little bit of luck. The uplifting message and open-hearted discussion make this episode a must-listen for anyone seeking faith in serendipity and the resilience of love.

Transcript

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[Announcer]

This is the Birch Show.

[Host Bert]

I don't think any of us can remember the details about Mr. Dial. We just know that it's a really romantic story.

[Co-host Jen]

Yeah, I mean, it's just about Mr. Dial and a woman he was in love with when he was a teenager. And then we'll learn here from his own words how they were separated and then lost touch and, and then they lived their lives. And then it was just this really serendipitous, you know, course of events that allowed them to come back together.

[Host Bert]

And what was he like in his mid late 70s?

[Co-host Jen]

Something like that, yes.

[Host Bert]

Okay, so this is the, the true story, the true love story of Mr. Dial.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, the story starts in wartime years when everybody had to be employed in a war production plant. And we were. I worked for the Fulton Silphon Company in Knoxville. We were making aircraft instruments for the war effort and we were hiring people to come in and do the work that had no previous experience. I was appointed as the training instructor for my department, and the day I got appointed, the first person that walked in was Ms. Vanita Anderson. She was a boss. She was the prettiest woman I think I had ever seen at that time. She just absolutely gave me a complete meltdown. But she was married and I was a shy 19 year old, so there was nothing going on except the relationship of a supervisor and an employee that went on for a solid year. And when I went to the army myself in 43, I had so much on my plate at the time that, that I just forgot all my names of all the people I had worked with. And when I got back Home. I had no way to contact her, no way to trace her. And after many, many years of trying to remember her name, I finally just resigned myself to the fact I probably never would. But after 60 years, of course, I got married, raised a family, and lived for 53 years as a married person. And my wife passed away about five years ago. Coming back from my daughter's visit during Christmas, I just suddenly remembered her name. Just came to me just like a stroke of lightning. And all of a sudden I remembered her name. And I thought, well, all I have is the satisfaction that I've remembered her name. But when I got home from that trip, first thing I saw was my newspaper of the current day laying on my table. And I opened the newspaper to look at the first article, and when I could read, read the first article, I turned the page to continue the article back on the inside page. And the first thing I saw was a letter to the editor from Ms. Vanita Anderson.

[Co-host Jen]

Wow.

[Mr. Dial]

This is a stroke of lightning. Twice in the same afternoon.

[Bluff]

Wow.

[Jen Hobby]

Wow.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I could not find her in the phone book, and I said, well, her phone must be listed in her husband's name or somebody else's name. So I gave up trying to find her in the phone book on my own. I called the paper, the newspaper, Knoxville News Sentinel, and the editor put me in contact with Ms. Anderson. And within five minutes, she called me. And we've been talking ever since. We kept close company for four years, and finally we just decided, well, why don't we just get married and just make it a close fair. We've been living 30 miles apart now for four years, but we kept very close company, Said, well, let's combine our families and move together, get married now.

[Jen Hobby]

Wonderful.

[Mr. Dial]

Of course, up here we believe in getting married before we move in together.

[Co-host Jen]

Right now. Mr. Diana, she was widow. She was a widow, correct?

[Mr. Dial]

Yes, she is. She had been with it 10 or 12 years before, and I was with it about. Well, at that time, about a year before. And now I've been with it for about five years, and she's been married 16 years.

[Announcer]

Okay.

[Host Bert]

Well, I mean, this is like. This is the stuff that movies are made of. I mean, the fact, you know, these guys are always laughing at me because I'm always talking about destiny and being in the right place at the right time, and the fact that that name just hits you, and then you open up the paper and there's her name. I don't think those things are coincidence, do you?

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I don't know how so many strange Coincidences were strung together all at the same time. See, if any one of these had dropped out, we would never have seen each other.

[Jeff]

Is she a frequent. Does she frequently write the newspaper or was it like.

[Mr. Dial]

No, it just happened. She had had a medical emergency a couple of months before. She wrote a letter to the editor publicly thanking the emergency medical service for being so prompt and so good about meeting her medical needs and getting aid for her. And she was just writing a letter to the editor saying thank you to all the people who helped. And there's the editor's letter to the editor on that page. That happened to be the first page I opened up.

[Jeff]

So the whole list of things. She had to obviously get sick and call for care and receive good care and then get well and then decide to publicly thank them and send it

[Host Bert]

to the newspaper and then actually write the letter. Because most people would say, you know what? I'm going to write a letter. But they never do.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, this letter, she wrote the letter a month or so after her recovery,

[Jeff]

and then she had to mail it at the right time. Then the newspaper had to wait and write and run it on that certain day. I mean, a newspaper gets dozens of letters every day commenting on the news or appreciation or whatever.

[Mr. Dial]

So they have to do. And they, they. They save them and publish them as. As space in their paper permits. Just happened to be published that day, which happened to be New year's Eve of 2002.

[Jeff]

And it happened to be the day that you were driving home from your daughter's house when you had the Tiffany lightning strike of her name.

[Mr. Dial]

That's right. You know, to this day, I thought many times about how in the world would that name have come to me after 60 years of lying there in my brain with no way to get out, and all of a sudden it pops out right at that time.

[Jeff]

You should have bought a lottery.

[Mr. Dial]

Don't understand that.

[Jeff]

Should have bought a lottery ticket that day.

[Jen Hobby]

Mr. Dial, I want to know what that first conversation was like when you called her.

[Mr. Dial]

Oh, well, the first thing we did. I guess the thing I was, is I tried to make sure that she was the same person that I had in mind. You know, the name Vanita Andrew Anderson is not a common name you expect. There can't be two people around here named Vanidina. And it turned out there wasn't. When we established that we were who we said we were, we continued on. Well, we talked about our old times. Well, what have you been doing for the last 60 years? And do you have a family and are they still around here? And so forth. And we settled all that. It took us two hours to kind of get reacquainted. Then about a week or two later, I took her out to dinner. And the first thing I did when I opened the door, I said, I think about I just throw my hat in and see if it stays. And we had a beautiful time that evening, going back over 60 years of lost connections, and we've been doing that ever since.

[Host Bert]

Mr. Dial, you said the first day that you laid eyes on her, you were just like, so taken back by this beauty. When you saw her again for the first time 60 years later, did you have the same feelings?

[Mr. Dial]

Well, you know, we talked about it over the phone, and I said, we both agreed to now it's 60 years later, we're not going to look the same. And I kidded her a little bit about it. I said, well, now you can see me coming up the driveway, and if you don't like what you see, you can run out the back door. But I can't. When I open that door and ring the bell, I'm stuck. But we know what I. The minute I saw her, I knew it was the same lady. She was the same smiling, beautiful, outgoing person she ever was. And there was very little difference in the personality. Of course, we're 60 years older, but we don't worry about that.

[Co-host Jen]

That's so sweet. Now, Mr. Dial, you talked about how you decided. Let's combine our families. How do each of your families feel about you two getting married?

[Mr. Dial]

Well, my daughter. I've got a daughter in Atlanta who's probably listening to you right now. They've always been supportive. They've never had any objection to me marrying somebody else at all. My other daughter is in Alabama. But they've always been very supportive and very encouraging to be happy. Do what you have to do to be happy.

[Host Bert]

I'm curious how the proposal went.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, the proposal was kind of a growing thing. It didn't just happen suddenly. We talked about what would it be like if we just were married and lived together. How would we solve the problems we're doing? Because she is taking care of. She's a complete caregiver for an older sister, 92 years old and blind. So that's a real chore. And I think she needs some help to do that. And I said, I'm willing to offer you the help, whatever you need. And that was the kind of thing we decided that we had to discuss very clearly and very thoroughly to understand how we're going to do all that. And of course there are other problems too. Combining households after 60 years and after being 85 years old nearly. So we've solved all those problems. I think we're going to be, we're going to have everything worked out.

[Host Bert]

It's an absolutely amazing story and you have touched everybody in this studio, even hard ass Jeff, I mean hard butt Jeff over here. No, you can't. Who is like an emotional brick I see over there, like melting into the seat.

[Jeff]

There's nothing wrong with the story. Everything about the story is beautiful. There's nothing wrong. There's no holes to be shot in it.

[Co-host Jen]

Congratulations, Mr. Dial.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, thank you very much.

[Host Bert]

Before you go, I'd love to put you on with some of our listeners who you have touched so much. Hey, Jules.

[Mr. Dial]

Yes, Good morning.

[Host Bert]

You're on with Mr.

[Jeff]

Dial.

[Caller]

Good morning. I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm a 28 year old single person and on Valentine's Day of all days, it's. It's hard to believe that there is true romance like what, what you're talking about. So I just have to say that your story touched me very, very much and I wish you all the best.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, thank you. And I hope you have a very beautiful relationship with your celeb ones.

[Caller]

Well, thank you very much. Happy Valentine's Day to you.

[Mr. Dial]

Thank you very much.

[Host Bert]

You got Jen Hobby in here and Melissa literally crying. Jen Hobby, what are you crying about?

[Jen Hobby]

I just think, I'm just thinking about how happy your wife must be looking down on you being happy. How, you know, how I'm sure her husband is feeling the same way, looking down on the two of you to found each other later in life.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I think our former spouses would be encouraging. I think they would want us to be happy.

[Host Bert]

It's an amazing story. It's a beautiful story. Are you thinking about your mom, Alyssa? Is that what's going on?

[Alyssa]

Yeah, I'm thinking about Mr. Dow. My father passed away a few years ago and you just remind me so much of him. And the fact that my parents were married for 51 years and I don't know, I just think it's a fantastic story and I wish you all the best and the fact that you were such a gentleman and you're going to help her take care of her sister. I do agree with Jen that, you know, I wonder if they make men like you today.

[Mr. Dial]

Well, I suppose they're out there. I'm nothing unusual. I'm just a sort of a Just a regular old Southern guy.

[Host Bert]

Well, you're a special Southern guy and I really appreciate you sharing your story with us, especially today. I mean, we don't have many of these moments on this show, so we're all really not sure what to do with it.

[Jeff]

Yeah, there's got to be. There's got to be an angle. There's something twisted somewhere.

[Host Bert]

Let's let it go.

[Announcer]

The Burt Show. Q100.

[Host Bert]

So that was from a couple of years ago, man. It's still good now. Still good now. It's funny. All the women in the studio here just focused on his story. Headphones on. Except Carter.

[Co-host Jen]

Oh, well, yeah. I mean, yeah, whatever.

[Host Bert]

You were crying during it.

[Co-host Jen]

Yeah, well, you know what? In all honesty, I left the room because his voice reminded me of my dad, so.

[Mr. Dial]

Oh, really?

[Co-host Jen]

There you go, you hard hearted.

[Host Bert]

Now I feel like an idiot.

[Corey]

Thanks.

[Co-host Jen]

Way to go, Bert.

[Host Bert]

Hey, Lisa, Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Hi, good morning.

[Lady Luck Britsky]

How are you?

[Host Bert]

Good, how are you?

[Caller]

Oh, I'm doing good. I just wanted to comment on Mr. Dial's story. I absolutely love a good love story, but his story reminded me of something that I had heard many years ago. And it's something that just stuck with me about coincidences. The saying is, coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous.

[Host Bert]

Coincidences are God's way of staying anonymous.

[Caller]

Absolutely. There's no such thing as a coincidence. God is in control and he was in control of that relationship. And I absolutely love it.

[Co-host Jen]

You know, one thing that I give country music credit for is because they take the best bumper stickers and make great songs out of them, especially Carrie Underwood. So I'm assuming that Carrie Underwood will have that. Coincidences or God's way of staying anonymous.

[Host Bert]

Are you single? Guys use that sometime during Bitterball. Use that. You can use that to your advantage.

[Jeff]

Coincidences is just God under the bed and he's looking at us. Do it later tonight.

[Host Bert]

Do it sober because you're gonna mess it up.

[Mr. Dial]

After all, that's what.

[Jeff]

That's when a coincidence is. It's an old man and a woman that he met in the closet watching us have sex. That's what a what? That's what a coincidence is. I heard it on the Bird show.

[Host Bert]

Hey, Corey. Good morning.

[Corey]

Yeah, good morning. I just wanted to say, Mr. Dial, you gave all the ladies a good, good push, that there are good men out there. I had the fortunate ability to remarry and my soulmate. And it's one heck of a great feeling to. I'm about to cry myself to get that with someone, man. Congratulations. That's important for you at that age, man.

[Host Bert]

You're gonna be. You're gonna be Mr. Dial in 25 years. You're gonna call us back. We'll still. We'll still be stuck with each other. And you'll be calling us in 25 years and you'll tell us your story.

[Corey]

That's right. Probably be pushing around in a wheelchair, but we'll be doing it.

[Host Bert]

All right, Corey. Thanks for calling.

[Jeff]

I won't be here.

[Corey]

That's why.

[Jeff]

In case anybody's planning on that.

[Host Bert]

I thought you just signed a 25 year contract. I thought you said 10 is as high as I'll go. And they wanted you for 25.

[Jeff]

I tie bricks around my ankles and jump off a boat.

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[Mr. Dial]

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