Sally, a widow of four years, emailed:

When I was pondering retirement from the deli I had founded and worked in for 25 years, the main thing I looked forward to was having “free time.” With it, I could do nothing — if I wanted — which sounded great after all those years of serving sandwiches.

In October, this paper featured an article about Chuck, 78, a Lancaster widower, who had lost his wife of 55 years.

I had to smile when I received an email from Chuck, a widower, in Lancaster.

Often, widowers contact me with questions about mature dating. Last month, Steve, a recent widower, emailed.

Mature dating is a challenge. Toss in an age difference between partners, and the challenge is even greater. Take the case of Ben and Janice, for example.

This past December, a Harrisburg woman, whose nickname is Neet, was in the reception room of her doctor’s office. She started leafing through the December issue of 50plus LIFE.