I came out as a transgender woman after my wife died - one year later I found love again with my 10-year-old son's teacher

A widow who came out as a transgender woman after the death of her first wife reveals she has found love again - with her 10-year-old son's female teacher.

In 2017, Katie Papilio-Davis' wife, Minxi Liu, 41, died of metastatic breast cancer. Prior to her death, Katie, 53, had told Minxi she was coming out as a trans woman and was met with unwavering support.

After she became a widow, Katie, from Topeka, Kansas, fell in love with her son's pre-school teacher, Beth, 59, who had lost her own husband in 2018 after he died from a heart attack. 

The duo spent a year getting to know each other and quickly fell in love before deciding to tie the knot in 2020.

Katie and Beth have now shared that they are more enamored with each other than ever - adding that losing someone they loved taught them how to live life to the fullest. 

A widow who came out as a transgender woman after the death of her first wife reveals she has found love again - with her 10-year-old son's female teacher (newlywed couple seen together)

After she became a widow, Katie, from Topeka, Kansas , fell in love with her son's pre-school teacher, Beth, 59, who had lost her own husband in 2018 after he died from a heart attack (Katie seen with wife Beth)

Katie never imagined she would find love again after losing her wife. But, nine months after Minxi's death, in September 2018, she met Beth while dropping her son, then aged five, off at school.

Minxi (seen) supported and even helped her transition prior to her death

She was still four months away from completing her transition at the time and had been undergoing hormone therapy for two years - with her son, now 10, having no issue adapting to her being a woman.

Katie and Minxi hit it off instantly and sealed the deal with a 'passionate kiss' in August 2019.

The pair then proposed to each other two months later and set about planning a wedding for June 2020.

Katie said: 'I couldn't wait to marry her - it was so awesome - we're really happy together.

'We've cross-adopted each other's children, we've got a total of six in the family now.

'We travel the country quite a bit with the kids - spending time on houseboats and going sailing. And we bought a gorgeous house we've painted ourselves.'

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the wedding was small and the brides were surrounded by six friends and family members. 

Beth and Katie met in September 2018, while Katie was dropping off her son, then five, off at school

Katie explained: 'Covid kept the wedding arrangements very small. We'd originally reserved a space for about 30 people - we weren't planning on having a really big wedding anyway.

'The money we lost had been tied up in a sailing cruise, we spent several thousand on that.'

The couple had to rework their wedding into a 'backyard gazebo' and limit their guest list to six people, per government restrictions.

Two of their children, aged 14 and 10, attended, as well as the officiant, her wife and Beth's two best friends.

'Our backyard is just gorgeous, and we ended up doing the wedding there. A lady, Donna, drove out from Kansas City to be our officiant - she and her wife came.

'We had eight folks here in the backyard - it was very short, pretty much Donna did the ceremony and drove straight off,' Katie added. 

While the pair initially intended to spend 'thousands' on their wedding - they ended up spending 'several hundred' on a donation to Donna for her time. 

The lovebirds were so excited to be tying the knot that Katie could hardly contain herself and planted a kiss on Beth while she was reading her vows.  

Katie said: 'I was very excited during the vows - I reached over and kissed Beth while she was saying hers.

The pair proposed to each other two months later, and planned a wedding for June 2020 (the couple seen with their kids)

'I got scolded at my own wedding! It was really cute, everyone was laughing.'

Beth said: 'It was beautiful - Katie was just grinning from ear-to-ear.

'She didn't just give me a little peck during the vows, she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big old smooch.' 

The duo recalled their intimate wedding and noted that they loved how 'short' and 'beautiful' it was. 

Beth recalled: 'One of the people at the wedding, Mindy, brought flowers - with it being 2020 and people not being able to do much, she'd just gotten hold of some flowers and she did my bouquet.

'My lovely wife and I decided to go barefoot for the wedding. My dress was a knee-length, sleeveless lace wedding dress.

'Katie's was floor-length with a train and lace, as well. She wore a tiara, while our daughter wore unicorn horns.

'We walked out our back door into the backyard and the officiant was waiting by the pond - we'd just set up a few chairs for the people who were there. We said our vows and enjoyed being with our family - it was short and it was beautiful.'

Katie and Beth have now shared that they are more enamored with each other than ever - adding that losing someone they loved taught them how to live life to the fullest 

The pair have spent the past four years in 'wedded bliss.'

Katie let Beth know she no longer had to work as her sole income as a project manager was enough for them both.

The family, along with their kids - aged 34, 32, 30, 24, 14 and 10 - go on lots of holidays every year, to places like Florida and Galveston, Texas.

Beth said: 'We truly enjoy each day - they do say to live each day as if it were your last, and we take that to heart.

'Us both having lost our spouse in the past, we know how short life can be.

'We're both just very interested in making the most of each day - enjoying our surroundings to the fullest.'