Serving Our Seniors Magazine January - March 2026

Barb Knapp, 73, and Dave Selz, 71,  have been a devoted couple for nearly 31 years. Barb has worked at the Erie County Dog Warden’s office for 50 years, serving as Dog Warden for 43 years.  “I wake up and I look forward to going to work,” she says. Dave, Boat Broker/Dock Master of Battery Park Marina, has spent 52 years working at marinas. “What else am I going to do? I’m an active guy. I just can’t sit around,” he says. Their story began on Kelley’s Island, where Barb grew up. After a visit on the island with her sister and friends, they stopped at Nick’s Roadhouse in Port Clinton. While the others left to have dinner, Barb stayed behind forgetting her car was still in Marblehead. She noticed Dave, dressed in a Portage Marina jacket and they started a conversation about boats. They talked awhile and she mentioned she was looking for a ride to the Marblehead Ferry to get her car. He offered her a ride and gave her his number to let him know she made it to Milan OK. Shortly after, Dave asked Barb to dinner, but she was cautious. Her friends suggested he meet them at Daly’s. Their first date included four chaperones; the second, at TGI Fridays, included another friend. “After that, it just snowballed,” Barb said. I asked Dave what he likes about Barb.  “We have so much in common — cars, boats, animals, home improvement, being outdoors.” Their secret to a lasting relationship? “Compatibility and independence,” Barb said. “We respect each other’s space and jobs. We’re very understanding of one another.”  For instance, Barb’s job does includes responding to calls in the middle of the night. Dave would always wait up for her.  The same is true with Dave’s job. If there is an emergency at the marina, Barb will accompany Dave. “We both watch out for each other,” she said. The two enjoy boating and spending time with prank-loving friends.  Their friends make their relationship fun and interesting.  They recalled when they bought their home in Perkins Township, a friend staged a fake crime scene in their living room.  To tease Dave’s tendency to be a clean freak, they tossed Tootsie Rolls into the pool. The only hiccup in their relationship, Barb could recall, was when Barb once had a cat. “Dave being a clean freak… I never got another cat. We have a Maltese, which doesn’t shed.” “Boating with our friends and visiting family, eating out or just sitting and relaxing by our pool are our favorite things to do in life. It keeps us going.” Barb Knapp & Commissioner Steve Shoffner 12