In early 1978, Jeff Topal was a 20-something single guy into muscle cars and rock concerts. He had a goal: Find a girlfriend. So he got a fresh haircut and new threads and started going places he thought he might meet a lady.
Later that year, at a basement disco in Collinsville, Topal met a someone who stopped his heart.
“I really wasn't paying that much attention, but when I looked up, across from me stood the absolute most naturally beautiful woman I ever saw in my life … and she started talking to me,” he said. “I thought, ‘Why [would] she want to talk to somebody like me?’ We talked the rest of the night and probably danced, and I danced horrible, and she still didn't mind.”
That beautiful, kind and attentive woman was Aida Audia. And she became the love of Topal’s life.
When Topal lost Audia to several years of illness on Jan. 3, they’d been married for 45 years. This year marks the Edwardsville resident’s first Valentine’s Day without Audia for 46 years.
Over the course of more than four decades of marriage, they made their home — and designed and built many houses — throughout the Metro East. Topal and Audia introduced each other to their personal interests and supported each other’s professional pursuits.
They looked for ways to laugh together — and at each other — including a running joke about Topal’s first attempt to cook her a nice dinner. (It featured Thousand Island dressing, shoe leather and canned beans.)
They also went everywhere together.
Audia and Topal clocked many miles on a Harley-Davidson. They later rode in a red, manual-shift convertible Corvette, when Audia’s chemotherapy weakened her physically and hanging on to Topal from the back of a motorcycle became too dangerous.
Cancer treatment was hard on Audia’s body. But chemo did give the couple six more years together: six years of Sunday dinners, open-top drives to Grafton and holding hands. When Audia, 70, died earlier this year, her husband and best friend was at her side.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day was not one of their traditions, though they did spend every one together. Topal said sharing about Audia on St. Louis on the Air this Feb. 14 was meant to be a special gift. “I’m doing this for her, not for me,” he said.
Topal said his fondest memory of their wedding 45 years ago was the promise they made to have, hold and cherish each other. “When I looked into her eyes, those great, big, beautiful brown eyes, I just knew everything was right. And as I said my vows, I said them from my heart. And she did, too.”
To hear the entire conversation with Jeff Topal, including how he almost lost his shot with Aida Audia, what they did to make each other laugh on Valentine’s Day years ago, and why the pair were best friends, partners and the love of each other’s lives, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
