One last moment: A College of the Desert love story

It's the type of love story you think can only possibly happen in movies, except it happened to two former College of the Desert students.

Peter and Jennifer Terhune were both 18-years-old when they started their first year at College of the Desert. Both of them were transplants to the area, so neither had any real friendships yet as it was the start of the year.

Peter was raised in Woodland, California and it was his parents who decided to move to the Coachella Valley. Jennifer was raised in Florida, and her parents moved their family to Yucca Valley, California.

It was the first day of school at College of the Desert in 1972 when Peter said, it was that day that shaped the rest of his life.

Peter said he was sitting with his sister on a bench in front of the library at the college when he suddenly glanced to his left, and he first saw Jennifer walking by.

"She just entered my field of vision from the left and walked across in front of me," remembered Peter. "I mean she was magnificent."

It was at that moment Peter was captivated by Jennifer's beauty.

"That second, that scintilla of a piece of time was the most significant time of my life. I mean that literally changed everything," he said.

From there Peter said he never approached Jennifer, thinking she was way out of his league. Later that day Peter was outside one of his classrooms before it began when he said Jennifer approached him and asked what class was next. As he continued attending his other classes Peter realized he and Jennifer had more than one class together. It seemed to be fate.

Except, Jennifer and Peter became friends, among a larger group of friends filled with others who recently moved to the area. There was a date here and there.

Jennifer eventually graduated and started college in San Diego, whereas Peter graduated a year later and eventually ended up going to college in Santa Barbara.

The two kept in contact for two years writing letters to each other. It was during this period of time that Peter said he realized this was more than a friendship. The two began making plans to see each other during school vacations as they visited their parents back home.

Five years after they met in 1977, Peter finally proposed to Jennifer and they married the very next year. From there the Terhune's lived a happy life making friends, living in several cities, even becoming their known local bottle feeders for baby cats that were abandoned. (This was an inside joke for the two and a hobby they shared as their love for cats grew.)

It was March 2021 that tragedy struck, Jennifer experienced several health issues that caused her to be in and out of the hospital. It was while she was in the intensive care unit for one of her health issues that Peter said she caught COVID-19.

Peter said that the two were very careful trying to not catch the virus that had already taken the lives of so many.

Eventually, she no longer had the virus, but still complications because of it grew.

On March 14, 2021, at 7:20 p.m. Peter said Jennifer passed away. He was by his wife's side when it happened, and the two exchanged no words. It was just a moment in time that ended up being their last living moment together.

“It was almost just unsaid, just communicating with our eyes," explained Peter.

Even though Jennifer has passed away, Peter still holds on fondly to the 50 years of memories they created together. He holds onto countless photos, and now a box filled with all the letters the two exchanged all those years ago that sparked their relationship.

A year after Jennifer's passing Peter decided to visit College of the Desert again where he took a trip down memory lane. Peter found himself back to reliving that happy moment in time when he said he first laid eyes on his late wife.

“I just wanted to sit where I sat, and visualize that experience again," said Peter.