Romantic rerun: “Dee Johnson (pictured center) and I had been dating for three years, and I bought her a wedding ring in June 1994,” Dave Kinney (pictured right) told the Ear. “I waited for the right moment to propose to Dee.”

“On Dec. 8, 1994, I heard on the David Brenner (pictured inset) radio show they were talking about expressing love to your significant other,” Dave recalled. “It struck me right there to call the next day and set up our marriage proposal on the show, if I could get through.

“I called, and to my surprise the producer answered the phone, and I set up a conference call to my girlfriend at her office. So on Dec. 9, 1994, she said yes on the air after a pregnant pause, much to my and David Brenner’s delight,” he revealed. “They sent some wedding gifts, but no honeymoon gift. We called the show on our honeymoon but they were off the air by then.” (In One Ear, 12/7/2012)

Note: “… You may wonder why I carried the ring for so many months before I proposed,” Dave posted on Facebook. “I overheard her tell a friend she wouldn’t marry me (in June) because she was afraid of having a stroke, and I’d have to care for her for the rest of our lives. I figured asking, with 3 million listening, she’d have a hard time saying no. It worked, but she had a stroke six months after our wedding. Pretty profound, huh?”

Dee died this year on May 3. Her celebration of life is at 3 p.m. Friday, at Clatsop Post 12 American Legion, 1132 Exchange St.