The Wife and I started riding again when I retired late last year. I bought a couple of Raleigh's because the best bike I ever owned in the 60's (a Raleigh) was stolen many years ago and I should have bought another but got something different that I was never happy with. I We bought fairly inexpensive bikes,I got a mojave M3 and she a EVA. I am almost exactly you dads size and its why I started riding again , I have a bum leg from an accident and wife has some knee issues with arthritis, so we suffer walking but riding works well.
I'm glad we didn't spend a ton of money on the bikes because it allowed me to add the upgrades we wanted without feeling I was wasting parts. We both ended up with brooks saddles me B17 she B 18 lady. I also added an adjustable neck (is it stem LOL)(forgot the correct term) and ergo grips then a couple a bells and mirrors as we ride mainly on the mup near our house.
I recommend hard tails and sprung saddles, they work for us. So I believe in suspension. Also we have switched to a smooth tire as we don't do a lot of riding in the grass and the roll is a lot smoother.
Could have spent more on the bike but these will do everything we ever want on a bike. We even bought a rack for the car as there are many mups in our area that are out of our daily range but this way we can vary our rides.
Hope thinks work out, it's a great way to do things together for us. Even a couple hours and a lunch stop beats sitting home potato'ng it.