Yesterday would have been 57 years of marriage for my wife and me. Mary Jane (MJ) and I were married on 25 Jun 1960. Unfortunately, she passed away on 19 May 2017, just 37 days shy of that 57th wedding anniversary.
It was tough not being able to celebrate this latest marriage milestone with her. Several times throughout yesterday, I had to stop and realize the loss of my companion for well over 57 years. We first met each other when Mary Jane Van Court and her classmates from Richmond Township joined me and my Andover classmates in seventh grade in the Andover school system.
When you add in our junior and senior high school years in the same homeroom class, plus our college years, I knew MJ for 66 years. For most of those years, we dated steadily, and we did the same during our four years of college. MJ went to Baldwin Wallace College and I went to Case Institute of Technology. The two schools were about a half hour’s drive apart in the Cleveland area so it was easy to see each other on frequent dates. We got married very shortly after each of us graduated.
My son Kurt helped me commemorate the day by taking me out to dinner with his girlfriend, Jan. Thanks, Kurt. It helped a lot.
You are fortunate to have good memories from a long time but I know it is hard to be alone. Don’t know how I will do. My friends tell me dinner and evenings are the worst. For us it is 65 years together since we met and 62nd anniversary this Nov. but it seems only yesterday. Thank goodness you have Kurt near by.