BRADY TOWNSHIP — Joseph Riggs started sending Valentine’s Day poems to his family when he retired from Slippery Rock University in 1989. Using a simple rhyming verse style, Riggs sends handwritten valentines to his loved ones as a way to stay in touch.

“I just really wanted to stay connected,” Riggs said. “I had nieces and nephews and families that we had married into and it seemed like a good way to stay up with everyone.”

For more than three decades, Riggs’ list of recipients has grown to nearly 150 people, which includes his growing family along with friends he met throughout his lifetime. Each year, usually starting in December, Riggs; his wife, Ginny; and family friend Doris Stupka take on the task of sending the heartfelt, and sometimes silly, poems to friends and family.

Taja Randick, who lives in Santa Cuz, Calif., is one of Riggs’ eight grandchildren who have been receiving a yearly valentine since she was born. She said she has kept “every single valentine” she’s received, and still looks forward to opening her yearly personalized valentine from her grandfather.

“It’s a complete testament of life from my grandpa,” Randick said. “The letters inspire a heartwarming feeling of sentiment. It’s exciting to see the letters every year. They are unique and specific to who we are as people.”

Riggs said part of his methodology for writing these valentines include adding an intimate detail about the recipient, to make sure they feel special.

“I think about the person and who they are and where they’ve been,” Riggs said. “I think about what they’ve built and what they’ve done and my relationship, and then I go from there.”

Writing 150 individualized valentines can be a daunting task, but Riggs said he’s written letters throughout his life and the romantic holiday is an opportunity to show appreciation for the people in his life.

“It’s an expression of love,” said Phillip Riggs, the writer’s youngest son. “He doesn’t sleep very well, so his cure for getting back to bed was to grab a legal tablet and write letters for his classmates. He is always thinking about someone else.”

Phillip Riggs, of Brady Township, said when he was growing up his family made it a priority to “look out for everyone,” whether it was offering someone a place to stay or just giving words of encouragement. Phillip believes this type of love is one of the main inspirations to keep Joe writing the yearly love letters.

“My dad believes fundamentally that people are good,” Phillip said. “He taught us how to be hopeful.”

Helping others seems to be a consistent theme throughout Joe and Ginny’s 73 years of marriage. Whether it was watching a friend’s child so they can attend class or getting involved in the civil rights movement in Memphis, the Riggs’ have spent a lifetime doing what they can to make the world a better place.

“Joe has a love affair with the world,” Stupka said. “He loves people. He loves to talk to people, he loves to hear people talk about their lives. The valentines have become more important as his ability to travel has become smaller.”

Riggs has found creative outlets throughout his life. Whether it was from his time as an activist, an actor, a professor, teacher or writer, Riggs has always found a way to blend art with compassion. The valentines, according to his son Phillip, are another way for Riggs to showcase his talent of the written word.

“It’s an outlet for his creativity,” Phillip said. “He’s really good with words and he has such a big, generous heart that has a lot of love for everyone. The list gets longer every year, and the valentines allow him to stay connected to his friends and family.”

Dan Kamin, of Pittsburgh, who has been a friend of the Riggses for over 50 years, said that Riggs’ loving nature for his friends and family stems from his time as a teacher.

“You blossom when someone thinks you’re great; they become their better selves,” Kamin said. “And that’s Joe’s particular genius. He makes everyone around him blossom.”

Riggs first started handwriting valentine poems when he was attempting to woo his wife, Ginny, in the 1940s. Ginny still has the poems Joe sent to her while he was trying to court her.

“Enough of the silly stuff / A Valentine is not enough,” reads one of Joe’s poems, titled “Ginny.” “Our love transcends the ordinary / tales by yesteryear fairy.”

Ginny wistfully recalls being excited to get such a romantic gesture, even if it comes with an ornery twist.

“I was very excited about it,” Ginny said. “Until I found out that he had written a poem very similar to another girl, and he just changed the name.”

“I didn’t win that battle,” Joe said with a grin.

“Ginny and I have been together for 73 years,” Joe said. “So the track record has to be pretty good.”

Laughter has always been an essential part of the Riggs household, according to their son Phillip.

“Humor has always been a part of our family’s life,” Phillip said. “My dad’s glass is always half full. My dad has never dwelled on negativity.”

Riggs said he tries to incorporate as much “silliness” into his writing as possible.

“I write using a lot of silliness,” Riggs said. “Especially for the kids.”

Family friend Hester Kamin, of Arlington, Va., is one of the recipients of Riggs’ annual letters. She said she’s been receiving valentines for more than 50 years and said the sense of humor is apparent in her valentines.

“You should be in ‘who’s who’/ You’re better than Zoom,” Hester said reciting one the valentines she’s received.

“They’re both such funny people,” she said. “It’s just an act of generosity and so much time and thoughtfulness goes into it. I just love them.”

Riggs credits a lot of his “romanticism” to the women he’s met in his life, including his sisters.

“My sisters were so impressive and so loving,” Joe said. “They were all the stuff that women were supposed to be.”

Riggs also said to truly understand what “true romance is all about” requires an appreciation of women.

“I have great respect for all women,” he said.

Riggs, who will be 96 this month, is no longer able to handwrite letters. His writing, according to him, has become too hard for others to read. He now relies on family friend Stupka to help transcribe his poems.

“It’s amazing, she touches all the buttons and all the stuff jumps out,” Riggs said. “I’m illiterate as far as machinery is concerned. I can’t even use the telephone.”

Stupka said she is more than happy to help her family friends.

“They are like parallel parents to me,” Stupka said. “They have been there for me throughout so many stages of my life. They are my mentors and they have influenced me in many ways. They live a life that is open and loving.”

Hester, who said she still gets a lot of joy from reading old valentines sent by Riggs, said she believes the valentines have an everlasting impact on all those who receive them.

“I’m a student at the Fred Rodgers institute and we talk about the meaning that small actions have on people’s lives,” Hester said. “Small actions always add up to something big. You never know how much change you are making or the ripple effect that happens when create an act of kindness.

“I think the Riggs have impacted so many people’s lives, more than we can even imagine.”