JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Capitol staffers Stephanie Boeth and David Willis grew up about 2 miles apart. Their grandparents went to high school together, and remain friends to this day.
But it took two decades and working in the state capitol before they would ever meet and, earlier this month, get engaged. On Feb. 7, Willis asked Boeth (pronounced “booth”) on the balcony of the Intercontinental Hotel in Kansas City, and, of course, she said yes.
“For years I’ve seen a Berry Patch sign posted on my parent’s street,” Boeth said. “I had no idea it was David’s parents until two years ago.”
“It’s a little crazy as we’ve figured out all of this,” Boeth, 24, said. “It’s just such a small world.”
Boeth works as legislative assistant to Rep. Jay Barnes, a Jefferson City Republican. Barnes is a new boss for Boeth, who spent the last few years working for former Kansas City-area Republican Rep. Noel Torpey. Boeth refers to the Torpeys as “her second family.”
Willis, 27, is a former staffer for Speaker Steve Tilley and House Budget Chair Rick Stream, and currently works for Majority Floor Leader, Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.
Willis and Boeth began dating last summer, when Willis approached her at the summer Republican caucus after “voicing his intentions” to the Torpeys, who immediately encouraged the move.
“They are a perfect match for each other,” Torpey said. “I couldn’t be happier for the both of them. They will have a wonderful, lifelong relationship.”
If they choose to remain in politics for a while — a fate they haven’t decided yet — the two would make something of a power couple in Jefferson City. Willis is working for the heir-apparent to the House Speaker position, and Boeth has cultivated a reputation in the Capitol as a sharp and capable staffer, running a traveling Medicaid committee under Torpey and now serving the rising-star Barnes.
But politics may not dominate their future.
“In terms of jobs, we’ve talked about a billion different options and I still am not sure where it’ll end up,” Boeth said. “I’m happy here, but we’re a team now, so we’ll make those decisions together.”
On their first date, Torpey surprised them both, when the restaurant they were dining in informed them that their bill had “already been taken care of,” by Boeth’s former boss.
The pair are set to wed on Nov. 14 in Boeth’s lifelong church, Red Bridge United Methodist in Kansas City.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
