They recall that she was reserved, naturally beautiful and modest. Those who knew her in Syracuse now remember only bits and pieces about her. Neilia - who inspired others to see the best in themselves as a teacher, role model, mother and friend - died in a car accident 50 years ago, on Dec. And a lot of his early success, he has said, is tied to meeting Neilia. He doesn’t need to sneak into four-star resorts anymore. and is arguably SU’s most notable alumnus. They later had three children: Beau, Hunter and Naomi.Īlmost 60 years later, Biden has the highest position in the U.S. Mary’s of the Lake Church in Skaneateles, New York. On the fourth and last day of his trip, he’d admit it: “You know we’re going to get married.” Walking back from their first date later that night, Biden couldn’t shake the thought that Neilia was the one. Nobody ever felt smaller around Neilia,” he wrote. “That was her special touch, the way she made everyone feel okay about themselves. And most of all, he learned that she was sincere and always said the right thing, even during his embarrassing moments. He learned that she hoped to teach junior high school in Syracuse in September. That day, he learned Neilia was from Skaneateles, New York, and she was in her last year at Syracuse University. She was so easy to talk to,” Biden wrote in his 2007 memoir Promises to Keep. “Basically I fell ass over tin cup in love-at first sight. “I’m Neilia Hunter.” She looked up at him with her green eyes and smiled, her face illuminated by the afternoon sun. He walked over and sat at the edge of the woman’s lounge chair. Ultimately, it didn’t matter what side the coin landed on. Fred Sears, the impartial friend of the group, proposed they flip a coin. He wanted to talk to the woman by the pool. The out-of-place college student had snuck in with two friends that spring day in 1964, the men wrapping themselves in the hotel’s beach towels and pretending to be guests. He wasn’t supposed to be there, at the British Colonial Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. S he made his way to the deck of the swimming pool, Joe Biden noticed the blonde woman sitting in a chaise lounge chair. Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.

Joe biden first wife died