Forget dating apps. They took a chance on the Toronto Star’s Better Love column — did it work?

Over the course of the project, we’ve run 25 columns and received several hundred responses. A few columns received dozens of responses, while others received none. Some got only a couple of responses but fell in love regardless.

At least three people, however — all seniors — have found a real partner, starting serious, long-term relationships with people they met through Better Love. Here are their heartwarming stories of how they found their person, right here in the pages of this newspaper.

Irv, 71: A widower and retired professional seeking one last great adventure

The spark: Irv lost his wife five years ago. He doesn’t own a smartphone, so dating apps were out, and finding love through his circle of friends just didn’t cut it. A daily Toronto Star reader, he figured he’d give Better Love a shot — and received dozens of responses.

“It was daunting, as I had to wade through them and try to decide who to contact first,” he remembers. He tossed anyone who didn’t bother to write a thoughtful reply or who lived outside the city, then narrowed it down to a shortlist. “It was my intention to take it slow and only contact and meet with the three most likely first and then branch out if needed,” he says. “I emailed the first three and suggested we talk first on the phone so each could get a feel for the other and see if we should meet.”

The first date: He talked to the first woman who topped his list for two hours, so they decided to meet at a coffee shop a couple of days later. Nance, 70, is an avid traveller who loves to laugh and give back to society. “She was 30 minutes late, as she got lost and promptness is usually important to me — we laugh about it now — but we hit it off and talked for another 90 minutes before walking in a nearby ravine for another hour, before I drove her home,” Irv says. They had so much fun that they met for another walk in a different ravine two days later. “We both felt like this was meant to be,” he says.

The love story: They’ve celebrated their eight-month anniversary and had many adventures together, from seeing Fringe shows and TIFF films to cooking dinners for each other and friends and family. They’ve even vacationed in the Galapagos and have discussed marriage. “She is intelligent, humorous and beautiful and I feel I have met the woman I dreamed about and she loves me, too,” Irv says. “We both say we are so lucky but then I say it is not luck as I took the chance to write the ad in the Star, she read it and responded with a thoughtful and truthful reply and because of those actions we met and fell in love. Even though we know a few people in common, there is no way we would have met except through the Star.”

Sharon, 65: A vivacious grandmother looking for a vital partner

The spark: Sharon’s sister saw Irv’s ad and encouraged Sharon to give it a go. “It ended up that Irv met and really connected quickly with another gal who had responded to his ad and he wanted to pursue that path exclusively. So I thought ‘good for him,’ and if it worked for him, maybe it could work for me, too,” Sharon remembers. “So I wrote in and asked if I could have my profile published.”

Twice-married and single for a couple of years, Sharon found that even the mere thought of taking part in Better Love was nice. “The most fun part was feeling hopeful and excited,” Sharon says. “I feel that you’re never too old to have dreams and desires, so just writing in the hopes that I might find my man was uplifting.” Sharon got four responses, which was just fine by her: “All I needed was one good man.”

The first date: Sharon found that this method surfaced more sincere men who were serious about having a relationship and didn’t want to waste time, she says. “The newspaper route — if you’ll pardon the pun — was kind of old-fashioned, and luckily for me, it resulted in connecting with men who had good, old-fashioned values that I respected and aligned with. Courting was much quicker, more direct, serious and targeted as a result.”

She met up with three men, going on an array of fun dates, including Stratford plays, art gallery visits and live music events. “My favourite part of going on these dates was realizing there were lots of good people out there wanting the same thing,” Sharon says. “And feeling as excited at 66 as I was at 16 at the prospect of finding someone really special.”

The love story: She found him. Sharon has now been dating an intelligent, active, retired entrepreneur with a passion for good food and wine, and great jazz and blues music, for five months. She and Chris, 71, have holidayed in Costa Rica and are “having a ball together.” Some days, she thinks, be careful what you wish for, “because I’m having more fun and excitement than I even knew was possible,” Sharon says. “It’s been a wonderful adventure and it’s not over yet! And I would say to anyone out there wanting to find love, carpe diem — get out there! Tell the world what you want, and you just may get it!”

Maria, 79: A retired educator and long-time widow ready to dance again

The spark: Long-widowed Maria has a nice life — but, she figured, a nice man would make it even nicer. “I saw Better Love as a safe way to meet someone special,” she says. “I trust the Toronto Star, so I went ahead with the idea of nothing ventured, nothing gained.” She wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in a 79-year-old woman and wasn’t sure how many responses she’d get. A lot? None? “I didn’t have any pre-conceived expectations,” she says. “I figured I only needed one response: if it was the right one, that would be enough.”

Here’s what she didn’t expect, though; the first respondent sounded like a perfect match: similar interests, honesty, sense of humour. “I could see that he took his time to respond to what I had written. He sounded calm, educated, interested and interesting. I thought, ‘it can’t be this easy,’” Maria says. “But it was.”

The first date: Maria has a terrible sense of direction so she ended up waiting at the wrong coffee shop for her first date with Alan, 73. When she called him, she remembers how he said, “Stay there. I’ll come to you.” And he did. They spent two hours together and when the time came to part, they already said they wanted to see each other again. Maria didn’t want the date to end.

The love story: And it hasn’t: they’ve now been together for four months. Her new beau is well-read, a great cook, enjoys music and likes to try new restaurants, and is both kind and thoughtful. “We enjoy learning about each other; we enjoy being together. I’m livelier than he is; he’s more relaxed than I am but every date gets better and better,” Maria says. “We’re absolutely in love with each other and we accept each other’s differences. He’s always calm; I’m always full of chatter.” The pair don’t live close to each other, but that doesn’t matter: “we’re committed to making it work, so I look forward to a future with him,” Maria says.

Mostly, Maria says, she feels lucky: lucky to have met him, lucky to have got to know him. “Lucky to still enjoy being with him,” she says, “even if we’re doing something so simple like we are at this moment: he’s reading the newspaper online and I’m double-checking my interview answers and occasionally one or both of us will look up and see the other, and smile.” A nice life, now even nicer.

Want to check out the columns we’ve already run? Read them in our Better Love section. Would you like to run your own? Contact [email protected].

We’re also hosting a Better Love event for single folks aged 50 to 65! For more info, visit thestar.com/betterlovemixer.