The gray divorce

Two years ago, Becky was a married woman on the verge of retirement. A year later, she did what previous generations of women her age would not have considered an option. At age 63, she divorced her husband.

Today, more than one in four people who divorce are 50 or older, according to a study by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research. Becky, now 64 and living in Fort Wayne, never expected to be one of them.

“You can plan your life down to the smallest detail,” says Becky, who asked that her last name not be used. “But you can never predict how your life will change in a year.”

Only a year ago, Becky and her husband of 17 years were living in Florida, planning to retire to the Tampa Bay area. They loved the weather, she says. The couple’s circle of friends was growing and there was enough in the couple’s savings account to buy a small house back in Fort Wayne so they could visit family and friends a few times a year. It was a “dream come true,” she says.

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