Love Story: Love Infusion Fred & Muryel Sumpter
Shanna: How did you two meet?
Muryel: We were family friends. I knew him since I was 12 or
13. We officially dated when I was a sophomore at Claflin University. I was about 20 at that time. Freddie was a biology teacher and I was having some complications with my science class and I reached out to him for some tutoring. Our conversations from then blossomed into a great relationship. At first we were both frightened and afraid of what others would perceive and say. It was very complicated because when I was much younger I used to babysit for Freddie. That really was hard for our families to deal with when we started dating later in life. We went through lots of obstacles. Especially when I moved in with Freddie my junior year in college. We dealt with many criticisms and scrutiny from our families. But we knew our love was genuine, real and God ordained. The more our families tried to tear us apart, the stronger our love became.
Shanna: That sounds like a huge challenge you endured. So, you dated when you were in
college... when did you guys get engaged?
Muryel: We got engaged at 9:30 PM on February 17 after a basketball game. We actually got
married the next day. What I remember most about that day was that my father was in the hospital and was unable to attend the wedding ceremony. My father loved Freddie. After we got married I still was wearing my wedding dress and Freddie still was wearing his tuxedo. We went to the hospital to visit my dad so he could be part of our big day. We had a reception and ceremony the following August with family.
Shanna: Fred, when did you know that Muryel
was the one?
Fred: I knew Muryel was my wife. It was kind
of weird because it never happened like that. Something just hit me. It was just like a veil that just dropped over me and I had clarity. I remember the exact day. I was coaching a basketball tournament, and I looked back at the exact instant that she walked in the door. She brought my kids to watch me coach the game. All of the kids were happy and she was happy. It was at that moment I knew she was the one for me.
Shanna: That was really sweet! Muryel, when did know Fred was the one for you?
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