How to make love grow
Six of our favorite Island couples share their secrets to maintaining a loving, long -lasting relationship. George & Jean Ariyoshi, Michael & Bina Chun, Bruddah Sam & Lina Girl, Patrick & Marisa Gey, Jim & Tracy Orillo Donovan, Dog & Beth Chapman
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In celebration of Valentine’s Day, We asked some of our favorite couples to share their love story
Patrick Gey, a personal shopper for Louis Vuitton, and wife Marisa, vice president of marketing and sales for Hale Alii Group and a fashion model, have been together for six years. They were married Sept. 25, 2005 at the Kahala Mandarin Hotel.
Was it love at first sight?
Patrick: Yes, I thought Marisa was very, very attractive. I didn’t know I would marry her, but I knew that I wanted to know more about her.
What was it about the other person that made you love them?
Patrick: I think we have a lot of the same values. Marisa was very much interested by fashion, and I was, for my whole career, working in fashion, so I think fashion was the link. But also I think all the values we have around our daily life are in common.
What interests do you share, and are there some things that one of you is into that the other has no interest in?
Marisa: He likes hiking and surfing, so he’s probably more active than I am. I enjoy shopping, he doesn’t.
What’s the thing you most admire/respect about your mate?
Patrick: Marisa is someone you can really trust and depend on. She’s also very precise and detailed, and always does what she promises. And she’s very supportive of all that I’m doing.
Marisa: Patrick is a very, very nice man. I have a son from a previous relationship, and he is very, very nice to my son. They get along very well. I don’t think I could’ve found anybody better than him. He’s a very nice man, and has a very big, good heart.
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Can you share with us a funny moment from your early dating days?
Marisa: He called me and said let’s have lunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a casual lunch next to the beach. So, I drive to the Royal Hawaiian, and he calls me and says I’m on my way, I’m running. I was wearing a Chanel top with white capri pants, Chanel sandals and Dior sunglasses. And he arrived, running with a beach chair on his back, and wearing swimshorts and a dirty tank top. He said, ‘oh, you’re so dressed up.’ I said, ‘you said we’re going to have a casual lunch. This is my casual.’
Former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi and wife Jean were married Feb. 5, 1955 at Central Union Church.
How did you meet?
Jean: I was a sophomore in college (at the University of Hawaii) and a member of the Japanese sorority, and it just so happened the young Japanese businessmen had a club, and they invited our sorority to a party. I was on my way out and happened to go through the kitchen, and against the range was this tall, lanky, good-looking guy, and when I passed him he said ‘oh, are you related to Hash (Yoshimi Hayashi)?’ I said ‘oh yeah, he’s my cousin,’ and I think, at that moment, the chemistry started.
Was it love at first sight?
George: When I started to talk to her, she immediately made me feel like I had known her for a long time. So I think that’s what brought us close together.
Jean: As we started dating, I thought that he was a very honest and strong person. I felt very secure and safe with him. I think maybe, behind my mind, I really did feel that he was a man I’d like to marry.
Can you share with us a funny moment from the early days of your dating?
Jean: One day, he picked me up, and I came out with a poodle haircut. I mean I really looked like a poodle. But it was the fashion at the time.
George: I didn’t like it. I wanted to go home (laughs).
Jean: That was the first year we started dating. I didn’t know (that he didn’t like it). He told me years later.
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If kids are involved, how did becoming a parent change your relationship, and which of you was/is the “disciplinarian”?
George: When the children came (Lynn, Ryozo and Donn), it became both of us not focusing on each other but really focusing on the children, and it was a gratifying experience. And then our grandchildren came, and it became focusing now on the younger grandchildren. So, life has changed for us, but it’s a very enjoyable, likeable change. We’re very lucky all of our children and grandchildren live here in Hawaii. I travel a lot, but I’m so anxious to come home because I want to see my (four) grandchildren.
Who does the cooking, laundry, dishes, etc.?
Jean: I do everything. George is busy enough. He provides for the family. He works all day in the office. In politics, it was such a demanding thing, so even after he left politics, I didn’t expect him to do all of that.
How do you resolve differences?
Jean: We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had any major problems. I don’t like confrontation. It’s not my cup of tea. Sometimes I have to write letters to my husband and to me; I can communicate a little better with that. But as a whole, I think that whatever problems we had we were able to solve.
What is your most memorable anniversary?
Jean: Our 50th. We discussed having a big party, but we decided to take our whole family, 11 of us, to Alaska for vacation. We were there for 11 days, and it was wonderful.
What’s the thing you most admire/respect about your mate?
Jean: George has a very big heart. Ever since we got married, he has given so much of himself to the family. He’s a very caring and giving person. And his love includes the people of this state.
What’s been the key to making your love last?
Jean: For me, it’s a combination of things. First, finding a good mate, and then after that the children came and he was a wonderful father. And then the grandchildren came, and it’s a lot of good bonding. Some say that love is 50-50. But I say love is both giving more.
George: Acknowledging and respecting some of the capabilities Jean possesses. And letting her do the things that she feels are important to her. They may not be what I consider to be important, but it’s things that she, as a wife and a mother, feels are important for her to do in the community.
Dog and Beth Chapman, stars of A&E’s hit TV show Dog The Bounty Hunter, have
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