The love story of Susan and Fernando Varela started and almost ended in The Villages. Their brittle courtship lasted six years and simmered with romance and friction.
They broke up twice and once called off an engagement. She is seven years older than he and when they met, Susan was a divorced single mom with a five-year old son and no intention of remarrying.
And their first date was a disaster.
Fernando and Susan Williams were studying music with Maestro Bill Doherty in The Villages. They met at the Church on the Square in 2001. Fernando was about 20 at the time.
“He was kind of romantic and cool,” Susan said. “I was captivated by his voice and his looks. He was so handsome. The first song I heard him sing was ‘The First Noel,’ and that voice gave me goose-bumps.
“But at that time, I was kind of jaded. I was divorced, had a child and I wasn’t interested in a relationship. He was young; I thought he needed time to sow some wild oats.”
Fernando was persistent in asking Susan for a date. “I kept turning him down,” she said. Finally, he told Susan they would meet for dinner and he would help her with a musical arrangement for a demo record.
So they set up dinner at an Italian restaurant called Brio’s in Winter Park. After a long day of rehearsing, Susan was tired and forgot to bring her cellphone to the restaurant. She showed up and waited outside. Time ticked away. No Fernando. Maybe an hour later she went inside and asked the hostess if a man was waiting for her. “No,” the hostess said.
Fernando, meanwhile, was hidden in a corner of the restaurant, constantly dialing his cellphone. He couldn’t reach Susan. “I waited and waited and finally I left,” she said. When Susan got home she checked her cellphone and found about 30 calls from Fernando.
“I kept telling him I didn’t want to go out with him,” Susan said. “I told him I didn’t want anything to do with him.”
But Fernando is the kind of guy who just doesn’t take no for an answer.
“Fernando is a dreamer, and his confidence and faith is unwavering,” Susan said. “He visualizes what he wants and he goes after it. He makes things happen and he makes dreams come true.”
Fernando and Susan have been married for six years and still make beautiful music together – on and off stage. The Varelas will appear together on August 18-20 in the Savannah Center in “Masquerade,” a concert performance based on “The Phantom of the Opera.” Susan will make a solo appearance Aug. 22 at Savannah in “Sounds Like Summer.” Then, in the most anticipated local concert of the summer, Fernando Varela and his group Forte, will appear in two sold out shows on Aug. 23-24. Last year, Fernando and Forte earned world-wide fame and acclaim after appearing on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”
The Villages holds a special place in both their hearts.
“This is a very special place for both us,” Fernando said. “The Villages is where we met and where we fell in love. A lot of people in The Villages saw us as a young couple dating. Now they see us as man and wife, mother and father. We live in Orlando but we consider The Villages our home.”
Susan shares that passion for The Villages.
“The people in The Villages are invested in our love story,” she said. “We work at our marriage every day and we work hard in our jobs. People in The Villages have worked hard all their lives and I think they appreciate that we do the same.”
Life has changed in the past year for Susan and Fernando. The success of Forte has meant fame and riches but it also means more time on the road for Fernando and other challenges.
“It has been an amazing year for both of us,” Fernando said. “It’s different for Susan, because she’s the spouse. I get to do all the fun stuff, play in the big theaters, stay at the best hotels and travel the world. She’s back at home washing clothes and taking care of the family.”
For Fernando, his wife does far more.
“She supports me and she’s always there when I need her. She helps me as a performer and she helps me as a person. She is my wife and my family means more to me than anything.”
They have two sons, Zeke, 4, and Jarron,19, from Susan’s first marriage. Zeke’s birth had a remarkable impact on Fernando.
“He has given me a real purpose in my life,” he said. “I’m no longer singing and working for myself. I want him to chase his dreams.”
Susan said Fernando is also close to Jarron. Zeke, she added, like his father, can be a lot to handle at home and the little boy likes to sing.
“That kid keeps me hopping all the time,” she said. “He’s filled with energy. He’s like 100 Fernandos rolled into one.”
Success in show business can be a divisive force and the notion of celebrity can change anyone.
“We want to live our lives as real people and we want our children to be the same way,” Fernando said.
That’s where Susan comes in.
“I think, in a way, I’m a grounding force for Fernando,” Susan said. “As exciting as his ability to risk and dream is, it can also be scary. So much has happened in the past year, it has changed our lives but we haven’t changed. I’m not envious of his success. What I want to do is keep our lives as normal as possible for us and our children.
“Our love and our family provide balance in our lives. I’m a more private person, Fernando is more comfortable in public. But both of us are not about fame. We’re about being real.”
Longtime friends find that quality in both of them.
“They have great respect for each other and their love just keeps on growing,” said Lynn Walker, who knew the couple before they married. “I remember when they first met, Susan wasn’t looking for marriage but Fernando was persistent. I think he fell in love with her the moment he saw her. You could just see it in his eyes.”
Both Fernando and Susan share their success. They support the International ChildFund, which helps struggling communities and children around the world.
“We have to give something back, it’s almost a divine thing,” Susan said. “Success isn’t just about us. It’s sharing with others.”
“That’s the kind of people they are,” Walker said. “They bring out the best in each other. Fernando needs Susan because she provides him with a safe haven at home – away from the stage — and I think everybody needs that.”
Susan also has a sparkling sense of humor and a habit of making Fernando as well as others, laugh.
“She’s funny,” said longtime family friend Linda terBurg. “Fernando is kind of like on old soul; he can be quiet and serious but Susan says things that just crack you up.”
The past year has been remarkable for both, terBurg said. “You have this sense that they both know that this is their moment and they’re seizing it. You know they are in this together.”
Susan’s singing career is also blossoming. She performs at Disney World in Orlando and in other venues in Central Florida. On stage, with long, dark hair and a powerful voice, she radiates warmth and charm. Susan has played such roles as Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” and Cinderella at Disney. She also sings the National Anthem for ESPN events there.
Susan has been involved with music most of her life but nearly gave it up after marrying Fernando. He encouraged her to keep singing.
“He’s helped me so much,” Susan said. “It’s a magical feeling when we’re on stage together.”
“I’m always rooting for her,” Fernando said. “Being married to a performer has helped me because she understands so much of what this business is all about. I have to spend a lot of time on the road but when we’re on stage together, it just makes everything feel right.”
The stage, like The Villages, is a place for Susan and Fernando Varela to share their love.
“These two have always been something special,” Lynn Walker said. “Their love story is never ending.”
