My parents celebrated their 69th Wedding Anniversary on Friday, April 30th. We took them out to dinner at Cool Hand Luke's and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. They sure don't eat much these days, but they love the attention and conversation. We usually try to take them out to lunch monthly, but it was a hectic day and dinner was the best we could do. They are pretty tired by evening time.
Mom and Dad were married in 1941 in the Little Chapel of the Dawn in Santa Monica, CA. Mom's parents were not members if the LDS Church and they were grateful they could witness their only daughter's wedding. The next day mom and dad drove to St. George, Utah, with my dad's mother, Winnie Hawley, and were married in the St. George, Utah LDS Temple. That doesn't happen these days! Couples married in a civil ceremony must wait a year before being sealed in an LDS Temple. Often, couples have a "ring ceremonies," at a location other than the temple, to afford non-member family members the opportunit to take part in the wedding ceremony.
My mother was also able to obtain special permission to not wait the traditional year after baptism to attend the temple. She had been active in the LDS Church, since she was 12 years old, without the benefit of baptism and I guess she had proven her dedication to the gospel. My dad baptized her the previous November of 1940 on her 21st birthday - the age her parents said she could accept baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They supported her attending the LDS Church for 9 years, but would not let her be baptized until she was "of age" and the respectful daughter that she was, she honored their wishes.
So, I guess it was because of that, she was given special permission to not only be married in the temple prior to a full year of membership, but to have a civil ceremony before her temple marriage. After their temple marriage in St. George, they promptly put grandma Hawley on a bus headed for home! She wasn't invited to the honeymoon. Some Church members in St George were kind enough to invite Pierce and Isabelle to a ward dinner after their temple marriage, and surprisingly, they went!!
They've had many good years and many difficult years during their 69 years of marriage, but through it all, they've remained devoted to one another, and devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am grateful to them for their love and example.
Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad.
5 comments:
How wonderful. I love those two people.
What a nice post and picture! Hugs to Grandma and Grandpa! I appreciated the history you shared too. I didn't know about the special circumstance that Grandma was not made to wait a year after baptism!
That is so sweet. Thanks for that sweet post.
Happy Anniversary to Grandma & Grandpa! Love you!
My Mother Is-A-Belle! Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad. Thanks Laurie for a very nice post. I'm glad my kids got to read it. I will inform the others as well.
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