70 Years Together: A Lifetime Of Memories

Today, March 1, 2017, was a celebration for my in-laws Jessie and Raymond. They were married 70 years ago today in Dallas, Texas.

On their wedding day, they danced at one of the Dallas nightclubs to one of the big bands of that era. No doubt Raymond insisted on "Jitterbugging" even though they were dressed in their best clothes for the special occasion. Raymond loved to dance back then, in fact it was at a dance that he met Jessie just 11 months before they were married.

Raymond claims he knew the night they met that he would marry Jessie. He says he went home that night with a picture of Jessie and told his father "...this will be my wife!"

In 1997, the couple celebrated 50 years together by renewing their vows.  They were younger back then and still had lots of family to celebrate with on Jessie's side of the family. Jessie comes from a family of 12 children...10 girls and 2 boys. Jessie and Raymond had hoped to have many children themselves, but they were blessed with only one child, Wild Bill, who was born on his father's 24th birthday.

After being friends since 1992, Wild Bill and I started dating in 1995 and we got married in 1997, the same year Jessie and Raymond celebrated their 50th anniversary. By sheer coincidence, I was born on his mother's 24th birthday! You might say we are them 24 years later.

Channel 12, the local news channel, sent out a reporter to video tape an interview with the couple.  Jessie, at a younger 91, was pleased as punch to reminesce with the reporter and to have a video made while discussing her hints to maintaining a 70 year marriage.

On the other hand, Raymond...a little older at 93...was in a celebratory mood, but not in a mood to answer questions nor get his picture taken. He clamped up like an oyster shell when the reporter tried to interview him, one of the few times I've ever seen him unwilling to talk or smile!

While Jessie wasn't looking, he did swipe a beer out of their apartment's refrigerator on his way to the party room at the Senior Retirement Community where they live. He said he was not going to drink punch since it was a day of celebration! 

The poor reporter had to go back and interview Jessie a second time when Raymond steadfastly refused to be interviewed.

The interview appeared on the local channel's 10 O'Clock News tonight. It was a lot longer interview than I was expecting. And there was Pop drinking his beer right on camera, but at least they did catch him smiling. I thought to myself... Jessie is going to kill him! 

Oh well, I'm sure it wasn't the first time in all those 70 years that he misbehaved and had to ask for his wife's forgiveness.

Thanks for dropping by!