Despite the Distance | Kylee Verhoff

“Despite the distance, we have both pursued and accomplished our dreams together.”

Meet Kylee. Kylee is wife to her Motor T Marine, Sean, and mother to her sweet one-year-old baby boy, Sean Jr. Sean and Kylee are high school sweethearts that met right here in the Jacksonville area. Both of their fathers are retired Marines and were stationed at Camp Lejeune during their high school years. Kylee graduated from Southwest High School and headed off to college; Sean graduated the following year and left for boot camp. Her departure to college in western North Carolina began their long-distance relationship that would remain throughout the majority of her college career.

Sean popped the question in December of Kylee’s sophomore year and they were married almost exactly a year later, halfway through her junior year. While continuing to maintain their long-distance relationship, they were fortunate to be able to see each other over holidays and some weekends. They found out they were expecting the summer before her senior year, which wasn’t quite in their plan. Due to her degree in Musical Theatre, she knew it was going to be a difficult year with her senior performance. Her first semester was completed on campus, and she gives major thanks to her professors for working with her throughout the second semester of her senior year so that she could be at home with her husband and family to finish her third trimester and give birth to Sean Jr.

Despite all of the challenges they faced, Kylee and Sean were able to overcome each and every one of them. They successfully brought their sweet son into the world while Kylee juggled school and performances, which led to her degree, and Sean continued to work hard for the Marine Corps. After three and a half years of long-distance, one year of marriage, and two trimesters of her first pregnancy, she and Sean were reunited to celebrate and truly start their new family. They are now living in Jacksonville where Kylee stays with Sean Jr. at home and teaches voice lessons at a local business, Debbie’s Angels Productions. This relationship has come full circle, as the owner was once Kylee’s mentor and is now her boss. She is also studying to be a fitness instructor.

Sean will be leaving the Marine Corps soon, and they have big plans and life changes coming their way. They plan on moving to Philadelphia and switching gears from focusing on Sean’s career in the Marine Corps to Kylee’s acting and performance career. Kylee commented, “Being a military spouse doesn’t mean you have to put your career plans on hold.” This is empowering and reassuring to many other spouses out there that may be struggling with this military lifestyle obstacle. She has certainly found ways to continue working in a field she is passionate about despite the lean amount of opportunities for acting and performance jobs in the Jacksonville area.

Kylee’s positive spirit is contagious. Throughout the long-distance, the unexpected life events, and the employment obstacles, she has remained positive and sets a beautiful example for other military spouses.