Nick Marson Finds Love in Gander After 9/11 Diversion

Nick Marson stepped off Continental Airlines Flight 5 into the Canadian town of Gander on September 11, 2001. He flew from London to Houston as part of a business trip. That flight was one of thirty-eight planes diverted because of attacks in New York and Washington DC. Roughly 6,700 other passengers joined him there. They nearly doubled the population of this small island town.

People on board were told simply that US airspace had issues. Just before landing, the pilot explained the reality of the terror strikes at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Nick felt lucky to be alive. He was moved to Gambo, a settlement thirty minutes north of Gander. Authorities placed him in a shelter inside The Society of United Fisherman, the town's largest building.

Nick waited in line for an old army blanket meant for his cot. Romance was not on his mind yet. Then he met Diane. She is from Texas and wore a warm smile with a winning sense of humor. They stood side by side joking about mothballs in the bedding. Their chemistry was instant. They picked cots right next to each other.

The following day they went for a walk to escape the nonstop news coverage. Conversation revealed a shocking truth. They had been on the same flight. Diane flew home to Houston after visiting her son, an Air Force member stationed in England. Nick and Diane came from different countries and cultures. Yet their shared values stood out immediately. Both were divorcees with grown children. Both put family first.

They did not know at that moment they would marry within a year. Their story born on such a dark day became the basis for the award-winning Broadway musical Come From Away.

Nick, now 77 years old, spoke to the Daily Mail about their early talks. We spent a lot of time talking about our lives because we came from two different backgrounds so we had a lot of things to discuss, he said. Diane, now 85, agreed. We both had similar values, she added. Our families mean so much to us and we both try to be helpful and respectful to other people whether they agree with you or not.

Diane found her British companion very intriguing. At lunchtime they stopped at a convenience store. She paid for their snacks just to spend more time with him. Later that evening they joined a screech-in event. This is a Newfoundland tradition where visitors drink shots of alcohol and kiss fish to become honorary Newfoundlanders. A blushing flight attendant once caught them canoodling in the line, adding another layer to this strange chapter of history.

Nick and Diane had such obvious chemistry that strangers mistook them for husband and wife. When the master of ceremonies, a justice of the peace, asked if they would marry after their playful explanation, Diane simply replied, 'Why not?' She later admitted she wasn't seeking romance at that moment. She just wanted to be silly and lighten the mood. Yet she couldn't deny the growing fondness she felt for Nick.

The next day offered a clear sign of his feelings during a trip to the Dover Fault. This geological rift marks where North America and Europe were once welded together. Nick insisted on taking a photo to remember their time. When Diane tried to step out of the shot so he could capture just the scenery, he stopped her. 'I wanted a picture of this day,' he told her. He explained that he viewed those five wonderful days as real memories he did not want to dream up or embellish. He needed to ensure she looked exactly like she appeared in his mind. He didn't want to forget her face. And at that point, he believed he would never see her again.

Diane saw this immediately and knew the depth of his interest. 'That's when I knew he was interested in me and not the scenery,' she said. Five days after their arrival on the island, air travel cleared for the diverted planes. They boarded a school bus together to head to the aircraft returning them to Texas. On that ride, Diane began to cry. She was overwhelmed by emotions from the past week and the thought of never seeing the Newfoundland residents again. These stranded passengers had spent hours getting to know locals in Gambo who treated them like family.

To soothe her, Nick put his arm around her and kissed her forehead gently. In response, Diane recalled grabbing him and kissing him back. She felt that if she didn't take this chance now, she might never have it again. He lived 5,000 miles away, so the odds of them ever meeting were about zero until that moment. 'That changed the airplane ride home,' Nick noted later. The couple canoodled the entire flight. A flight attendant jokingly offered them cold towels instead of hot ones because they were too busy being affectionate.

Once Nick returned to London, they began corresponding over email and long weekend phone calls. Within a month, Nick found a way to finagle another business trip to Houston while working in the oil industry. It was a month after that specific trip that he proposed. He did so over the phone from his car because he could not wait for the next visit. Diane happily accepted. 'It was less than two months after we'd met, but we knew we wanted to be together,' she said. Nick agreed that it just felt right.

For the following year, the couple navigated the red tape and logistics of immigration while strengthening their bond by meeting each other's families. They decided for Nick to move to America because Diane had just purchased a house in Spring, Texas. While there can be no doubt their romance was a whirlwind given the circumstances under which they met, both knew time was too precious to worry about moving too fast.

They tied the knot on September 7, 2002. The couple hit it off immediately, choosing adjacent cots while staying with other displaced travelers at the Society of United Fisherman hall. Later that same night they attended a screech-in event, a local custom where newcomers drink shots and kiss fish to earn honorary status in Newfoundland. Nick wanted to capture their day on film, but when Diane tried to move so he could photograph Dover Fault without obstruction, he simply stopped her. Both knew their time was too valuable to waste worrying about speed or perfection. They married then and there.

For their honeymoon the Marsons decided they had to return to where their romance began in Newfoundland. Where else would we spend our honeymoon other than where we met Diane asked. They originally planned a thank-you dinner for the islanders who welcomed them so warmly almost a year earlier, yet friends on the island surprised them with a full wedding reception instead. This event included a multi-layered wedding cake and a song written specifically about their love story by the mayor of Gambo. We made so many memories with all of the people up there Diane said regarding the week they spent with those who had cared for them during their initial stay.

Newfoundland now feels like home from home for the Marsons. They have returned to this Canadian island nine times and maintain close contact with friends back there. Their story, a bright moment within a devastating tragedy, was mostly unknown outside Newfoundland until 2010. That year they appeared in Tom Brokaw's documentary about Gander's role in aiding America during Operation Yellow Ribbon following the terror attacks. Until that point we hadnt been comfortable sharing this story with anyone other than close friends and family Nick admitted. He thinks it is survivor guilt because they did not feel right enjoying their blessings while 3,000 families faced devastation.

Three years later their tale was immortalized when it became part of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical Come From Away. This show depicts Gander during the week of September 11. The musical creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein approached Nick and Diane in 2011 on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to use their story with blessings given but little involvement from the couple in development. When they finally saw the production for the first time in 2013 they were thrilled by how Sankoff and Hein brought that specific moment in Newfoundland to life while honoring the kind hosts. The actors Christine Toy Johnson and Chamblee Ferguson portrayed them in the 2018 Los Angeles production of Come From Away which was inspired by their real experiences.

Since the musical debuted the Marsons have watched it in various forms including Broadway and regional productions at least 160 times. They even toured with some theatre group productions alongside the cast. Diane says every time we see it its like were renewing our vows Nick noted. It takes them back to those wonderful five days where you sometimes think Was it real? Now twenty-five years later it is clear that the Marsons love for one another remains just as genuine as when they first met in a shelter on Newfoundland.

Nick admits his partner and he still set aside room for the horror of September 11th, but the heavy weight of guilt has finally lifted from their shoulders after years of dating. Enough time has passed to let that survivor's guilt fade away, he explained. You simply accept that life throws both good times and bad at you, so you have to deal with whatever comes your way. Since they played no part in those events, there is little reason to feel ashamed for finding one another.

For Diane, the shadow cast by that tragedy actually sharpened her focus on what matters most: making every second count. They just enjoy spending time together because they know how precious it truly is, she said.