Many couples delight in giving each other special tokens of affection, but the gift Bob Faltermeyer gave his wife is priceless.
They first saw each other at a real estate open house in 1992.
Susan, a single mom of a young daughter, had recently returned to Spokane after several years in Alaska.
"The day after the open house, I told my girlfriends I'd seen this attractive man, and they told me to call the Realtor," Susan said.
She agreed, but advised her friends if the guy's name was Bob, she'd run away as far and as fast as she could.
"All my exes were Bobs," she said.
With information provided by his Realtor, she reached out to Bob, who remembered seeing her that day.
"I thought they looked like a nice mom and child," recalled Bob, a single dad of two sons.
Susan didn't invite him out - instead, she asked if his organization would host a blood drive.
"I was working for Inland Northwest Blood Center at the time," she said.
Bob agreed, and the event was successful, but Susan didn't attend.
He knew she went to Lindaman's for coffee every day, so he showed up, got her number, and asked her to lunch.
They hit it off.
"Our first real date was the Lilac Ball," Susan said. "It was a great date!"
When asked about the marriage proposal, Bob grinned.
"I know there was an ultimatum involved," he said.
Susan said she enjoyed spending time with him, but not while he was still seeing other women.
Bob got the message loud and clear.
"He proposed at his house in front of the fireplace at Christmas time," she said.
They married in her family's church on Aug. 8, 1996.
Bob's sons lived in Hawaii with their mother. After the marriage, they moved to Spokane to live with Bob and Susan. Their kids were 8, 10 and 12 and the couple quickly discovered blending a family is not for the faint of heart.
"When we were dating, my daughter would open the door (to Bob) and say, 'What are you doing here? You were just here!' " Susan said. "It was a big adjustment for the kids."
And for Bob and Susan.
"We went from being a couple to being a family of five," she said.
When things got tense, Bob would say, "This too shall pass."
He said it often, and their commitment held strong. Their common interests allowed them to connect easily.
"I just fell in love with her," he said.
He enjoyed a 36-year career as CEO of Excelsior Youth Center (now Excelsior Wellness), and she worked in marketing and public relations for several nonprofits.
Their houseboat on Lake Coeur d'Alene provided years of fun and a close-knit community.
A few years ago, Susan's health began to decline. It wasn't unexpected. At 28, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer and underwent aggressive chemotherapy.
"It trashed my kidneys," she said.
Her nephrologist told her it was time to consider dialysis or transplant. She didn't want to pursue dialysis, so they looked into surgery.
Bob, now 75, but 74 at the time, accompanied her to her doctor's appointments, and he asked, "What's the cutoff age to be a donor?"
He was told the usual cutoff age is 59, but still chose to go through the stringent testing regime at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix to see if he could be her donor.
Susan, 70, had already gone through the presurgery protocol.
In January, they traveled to Phoenix for their surgeries.
"My kidneys were failing by the time I got to the Mayo Clinic," she said. "I faced my mortality at 28. But Bob was not OK with it, and neither was my daughter."
Despite his levity, they both knew the risks regarding transplant surgery. Friends traveled from Hawaii to care for them post-surgery. The 20-minute drive from their rented home to the clinic was done in absolute silence.
"There are no guarantees," Bob said.
He was wheeled into one operating room, she to another, and both surgeries went well.
"Afterward, I was treated like a celebrity," he said. "And I got my e-bike!"
Susan did well, but got an infection five days post-op. She recovered quickly and they returned home after a six-week stay in Phoenix. Both say they feel great.
She recently completed her four-month post-op appointment at the Mayo Clinic, and the kidney is functioning well.
"I love her strength, her style, her love for life, and her compassion."
He encourages others to consider becoming a donor.
"It was the right thing to do," he said.
His gift gave them more time together, and they are treasuring each moment.
"This experience has been the ultimate gift of love," Susan said. "Every day is precious. He's my hero."