“Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this person? If you go into your relationship thinking that, then it really helps you in the decision-making. My wife wrote me a letter Aug. 9 of 1990. The miracle was the letter even reached me in the first place because out of the nine-digit ZIP code, only two digits were correct. Long story short, we became pen pals. I go off to sea for six months and we’re still writing each other when I’m on the other side of the world. I come back port and she writes me and gives me her phone number. We start calling each other and all this while I’m thinking, ‘Man, I’ve fallen for this chick.’ I never met her yet. I said, ‘How would you like to see me for a few weeks?’ She said that would be great. I had no intention of getting back into the Navy, but I had no clue what I was going to do as far as work goes, but five days after I left the Navy, I bought a ticket on Greyhound 52 hours one way to Mobile. Her and her mom came and got me. Six days later I asked her to marry me. Ten months of correspondence and phone calls and all it took was less than a week of seeing each other.” – Eric Daily of Gulf Shores

They’ve been married for 30 years. Daily is the museum guide at the Orange Beach Indian & Sea Museum.

He holds the letters she wrote to him, including the first one.

Eric Daily holds the letters between him and the woman who later became his wife. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.