Maurice Jordan and Teresita (Tessie) Adriano-Jordan met for the first time in 1999, at the Hillcrest Country Club where they both worked – Maurice as a Chef and Tessie as a Front Office Manager.
Prior to working at Hillcrest, Maurice had left his hometown of Charlestown, Massachusetts to pursue a variety of executive chef positions across the country.
Tessie, after arriving in the U.S. from the Philippines, opened, operated, and eventually sold a successful travel agency. The skills she gained there would eventually help her unknowingly plan the proposal that would unite the
couple forever.
In August of 2003, Tessie booked a two-week trip for herself and Maurice to visit Machu Picchu in Peru. Maurice explained that he always let Tessie take control of vacation plans, because he knew whatever she organized would be perfect, given her travel agent expertise. At Machu Picchu, Maurice intended to propose at the Sacred Rock atop the mountain, but his plans were foiled when their tour guide blew right past it!
As the group was leaving the park, Maurice quickly pivoted, leading Tessie back inside with the tour guide following. After finding a beautiful spot to propose, he lifted her onto a wall and got down on one knee, asking her to marry him once and for all.
The pair were married on August 15, 2004 at the Yosemite Lakes Community Church in Coarsegold, California.
Maurice and Tessie rode in the back of a BMW convertible as they traveled to their reception at the nearby Blue Heron Club House. The party began with Tessie dancing into the room to the tune of what Maurice calls her wedding song – Dancing Queen by Abba. According to Maurice, the biggest highlight of the night was their guests, who traveled from as far as Massachusetts, Alabama, and Texas to celebrate together.
Outside of their jobs, both Maurice and Tessie have spent much of their time involved in a variety of charity organizations, giving back to their communities both alone and together. Some of the charities that Tessie worked with include Angels of Hope, a Filipino charity that raises money for the children in the Philippines, and APLA, a charity for finding a cure for AIDS, for which she also ran the Maui Marathon in 2009. Maurice ran that marathon with her, and has also involved himself in a variety of other runs for charity, including the Pasadena 5K Run, the Boston Marathon for Boston Children’s Hospital, and the L.A. Marathon.
Today, Maurice and Tessie have been married for 20 years, and their relationship is as strong as ever. Tessie has had dementia for a number of years and has been nonverbal for the last two. Maurice has dedicated himself to
caring for her full time. Maurice channels his love for Tessie as he volunteers for Music Mends Minds, a nonprofit organization that creates musical support groups for individuals with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological disorders.
When he sings to her, his adoration and dedication to his wife is written clearly on his face. We wish Maurice and Tessie all the best in their future together, and are forever touched and inspired by their love for each other.
By Gigi Appelbaum-Schwartz
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