Couple married for 60 years has heartwarming reunion after over 200 days apart

Even after 60 years, distance can still make the heart grow fonder.

After spending 215 days apart, a husband and wife shared their first hug since the pandemic began -- a heartwarming reunion.

Joseph Loreth and his wife, Eve, had only communicated through phone calls and a few window visits, but on Thursday the two were finally reunited at their assisted living facility in Brandon, Florida.

The special moment was recorded by attendants at Rosecastle at Delaney Creek and shared on the facility's Facebook page.

"I sure missed you," said Joseph in the video, overcome with emotion. "After 60 years, I gotta do something right."

Joseph had undergone surgery and was in rehabilitation when Eve moved into the facility. The couple was not allowed to meet until the 80-year-old fully recovered.

Clary Abreu, the life enrichment coordinator at Rosecastle, was responsible for bringing the two safely back together. She said there was a lot of anticipation for this long awaited moment.

"[Eve] was so excited that she paced probably all night and she sat out in the dining room waiting for him," Abreu told "World News Tonight."

When the reunion came, Abreu said the love was apparent: "He was just so emotional it was so beautiful to see how much he loved his wife."

The couple, together again, told "World News Tonight" that they met in high school at a skating rink.

Joseph shared that it was Eve's patience and persistence that sparked the romance: "She started chasing me around and she never quit."