Julia and Justin Symonds Engagement Announcement

Julia Gibson, daughter of Vickie Gibson of Sturgis, has become engaged to Justin Justin, son of Marty and Lisa Symonds of Sturgis.

Friday, July 5th 2019

Proposal

Justin was in South Carolina at a drill sergeant academy, I drove out there so that I could be there for his graduation. After graduation we spend the next few days driving to DC and then onto New York. While we were in New York walking in Battery Park looking at the Statue of Liberty we stopped and were just enjoying the view. It was in the middle of the night with no one around we started walking back to the subway. As I was following my GPS and noticed that he was not behind me, I slowed down and I heard him say my name. As I turned around I saw him down on one knee and my heart about stopped. He barely got out the question before I first asked him if he was serious but then I followed with a “Yes”!

How They Met

Justin and I meet when we were in grade school. He was two grades above me. In 2010, after he came back from Afghanistan during the rally we were at the loud and he asked me to dance. From that event on on we started swing dancing at all of the local events that played country music. Over the years we had seen each other many times and became to have an attraction to each other. In 2017 when my son passed away he was always around and checking in on me. After that we became very close. He was the popular jock in school and I was the weird tomboy but now after all these years we have fallen in love and are getting married.