This month marks the 75th anniversary of the marriage of my parents, Ray and Kay. When I think about my parents and their marriage, many thoughts come to mind. The overwhelming one is the respect they gave each other. In all my years of growing up I never saw my parents fight. They might disagree, but they never raised their voice to one another. They were true companions, and over the years they stood by their vows through the good and the bad.
I remember a few details of the story of how they met. My dad had been discharged from the service in January of 1946 and returned to his hometown of Indiana PA. My mom began working as a telephone operator in Indiana in March 1946. One of her coworkers mentioned, “if you ever want to go out on a blind date, let me know.” This coworker’s boyfriend worked with my dad. In May of 1946 the blind date was arranged, and Ray and Kay met.
Although they got along and continued to date, it appeared my dad had to win my mom over. My mom’s landlady would say to her “you are going to marry that man,” to which my mother vehemently insisted she was not. Apparently, the landlady noticed something in my parent’s courtship. Over the course of those several months, something changed. Perhaps she found his good-natured attitude too much to resist. They were wed on November 9, 1946 in the parsonage of the First Christian Church in Indiana PA. The witnesses were Alvin and Vera Brown, my paternal uncle and aunt.
My parents spent the first eight years of their married life in Indiana. They lived in several different apartments, one being on Gates avenue that my mom would point out when we visited my aunts. A few years after my sister was born, they bought a house. Unfortunately, the company where my dad worked was sold and many were laid off, including my father. This was about the time my brother was on the way.
Someone with connections with Walworth—a steel valve company in Westmoreland County—told my dad to apply as it was hiring. He did and was employed to work in the foundry working on molds. The family relocated from Indiana to the Greensburg PA area where my mom and dad settled and stayed.
My parents certainly knew how to laugh and enjoy life. Growing up I remember my parents going bowling on Friday nights as part of the Walworth League. They often played cards, such as pinochle, with friends on the weekend. Occasionally there would be a party they hosted or attended. They had a social circle of friends in which they remained active until after they retired.
Family was an important focus for them. They did what they could to make the best for me and my two siblings and instilled in us the value of family and being there for each other. They doted on their grandchildren and kept in touch with their siblings. Perhaps that’s part of why I have such an interest in genealogy.
Like many as they grow older, both my parents faced health issues. But through all that they endured, they had each other. Their love was evident, patient and kind as they took care of each other. They celebrated 51 years together before my father passed away from cancer.
I have many snippets of memories about my parents, but their warmth and love are the things I remember most. My parents had a great love and affection for each other. They set a perfect example of two people who had a true partnership in marriage. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse: they experienced many things, and their love endured and always got them through.
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