It can be daunting to take part in a festival alone in a new city. However, on August 27, 2016, Daniel Everett Nester, the second day of Toledo Pride's three-day festival, recently moved to Toledo, Ohio, to go outside his comfort zone.
After stopping by Georgjz419, the bar where he was holding festival events, he met Eugene Joseph Joskowitz, who was with his friend Christopher Fitzner.
Yoskowitz, who lived in Detroit, told Nester he couldn't help but notice on his own.
“We were woken up all night,” said Yoskowitz, who goes to Geno. “I told my friend Chris that I thought Daniel was cute. Chris is a good wingman and helped me talk to Daniel.” The meeting was intrigued enough to exchange phone numbers.
The two began texting, but August was a busy month for Nester. He was then head cheerleading coach and spirit coordinator at Bowling Green State. So the two came up with plans for their first date about a month later.
On September 19, 2016, Nester headed to Detroit to meet Yokovitt at his home. The two then went to Standby, a nearby cocktail bar, to share a drink called the Curse of Fibonacci, served with a giant metal pineapple.
“Daniel playfully balanced his head, cracking us and both,” Yoskowitz said. “That was the moment I fell in love with him.”
After the drinks they went for a walk, then to the whiskey disco nightclub and danced. “Daniel is a great dancer,” said Yoskowitz. “I love him turning it on and doing his thing.”
The couple shared their first kiss of the night. And the next day, Nester called Yokovitz and asked him to be his boyfriend.
Just eight months later, Nester lost his job. The two made a leap in their faith, and Nester moved to Yoscovitt's loft in Detroit. “It turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made,” Yoskowitz said.
In October 2017, Nester was offered a job as a cheerleading coach and spirit coordinator at Georgia Tech. He asked Mr. Yokowitz to join him in Atlanta.
At the time, Yoscovits was the product development and regulatory operations manager at Rocket Mortgage. When he told his manager he was thinking about moving to Atlanta but wanted to stay in the company, he was offered the position of Director of State Government and Diplomacy and was allowed to work remotely.
The two moved to an apartment in Atlanta's West Midtown area.
On June 28, 2019, while on vacation in Munich, Yoskowitz proposed, but not before they formed a relationship through a bit of stress testing. They have just completed a difficult hike of Roβstein and Buchstein in the German Alps. Nester was caught off guard, exhausted and annoyed by the tough trekking.
“It hilariously reminded me of Patrick and David's involvement in Schitt's Creek,” Nester said, referring to an episode from the popular comedy series.
(Click here to read this week's featured couples.)
On February 14, 2020, Nestor and Yokovit bought a house in a neighborhood in Atlanta's Oakland city. However, it was destroyed during the Tropical Storm Zeta just six months later. The couple had to be rescued from the roof by their neighbors. They now live in a new home built in the same location.
Growing up in Laurel Fork, Virginia, Nester, 35, spent most of his career as a cheering coach. He is currently a program manager and senior executive assistant for the vice president of Georgia Tech. He holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech and State University in interdisciplinary studies and pursues an MBA at Georgia State University.
Yoscovits, 38, is Senior Digital Product Manager at Atlanta-based Fintech Company. He holds a bachelor's degree in German studies from Wayne State University. He grew up in Trenton, Michigan.
The two married on March 23 at Westside Reservoir Park in Atlanta. Parton Waters was the drug persona of their mutual friend Jerome Stevens, and on the occasion he was ordained through the Universal Life Church. Three guests were attended: Mr. Yokovitz's mother, Daniel Yokovitz, Mr. Nester's parents, and Ricky and Donna Nester. Dinner was followed at IL Premio at a hotel in Atlanta.
Nester and Yokovit are also planning a wedding celebration, which will be the date of their wedding, September 20, 2026. “But in the current political situation, we cannot ignore the fear that marriage equality may not be guaranteed in 2026,” Nestor said.
Yoscovits said, “On our wedding day I felt something I had never experienced so completely. For the first time in my life I felt a deep sense of belonging, as if I was meant to.”
