Holly Wagg & Sean Boileau

Holly was widowed in 2017 when her wife of nearly 12 years died of leukemia. As she dipped her toes into the dating pool, the first person Holly went out to dinner with was Sean (a non-widow). Holly and Sean started dating, fell in love, became a couple, got married in 2019, blended their families (collectively they have 8 kids now between the ages of 11 and 29) just months before the pandemic hit. As a queer person, entering into a straight relationship added additional challenges to widowhood for Holly. As a divorced, cis-gender male, who hasn’t experienced a lot of loss, Sean was remarkably in tune with what a widow might need (ask him about his wedding vows). Falling in love, as it turns out, is a lot easier than building a new partnership. Holly and Sean are willing to speak candidly about their challenges (and joys) of dating, re-marriage, and blending families in your 40s.