My whole family had gathered for the big event. Several of us slept in the basement of my parent's home on William Penn Way (in New Brighton). Pretty much everyone was excited! My brother, Ira, was the only one who tried to talk me out of it.
I got to the church plenty early. My best friend, Bob Creese, was my best man! He was a nervous wreck! We stepped outside the church for a while so he could smoke.
The church was filled with family and friends (some later said they'd never seen the church so packed). It was warm. Dave Eakin was the presiding minister.
Deb's sisters (all five of them) preceded her down the aisle. Finally, her Dad escorted her in! Wow! She looked breathtakingly beautiful! I couldn't believe she was about to become my wife!
I had written the ceremony with some counsel from my lifelong mentor, Glenn Hughes. It was not flashy, but it got the job done.
The reception was at a firehall on 37th Street Extension in Beaver Falls. It was crowded. During the reception, Pastor Eakin stepped in behind our table. He reported that a few of my aunts had pointed out that he had never officially pronounced us as "husband and wife"; so he did it there at our table!
My boss, Carlos Twitchell, (also my brother's father-in-law) also came to our table and slipped me a fifty dollar bill! With it he said, "When you have breakfast tomorrow, order a steak." I did! Not the next day (Sunday), but on Monday morning at the Clarion Clipper Restaurant in Clarion, PA. :-)
When it was time to leave for our honeymoon, our car had been sabotaged. The windows were smeared with mayonnaise and the engine had Limburger cheese. I had to drive straight to a car wash before we could leave town!
We spent our honeymoon night at Debbie's Aunt Dorothy's chalet in Marionville, PA.
On our wedding day, my sister-in-law informed me that we would be expected to return on Sunday morning to worship at my home church. This necessitated a lot of unnecessary driving. I bowed to the pressure and we did so. Looking back: it was a dumb idea!
On Monday we went to Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut, PA. While there we ran into a man from the New Brighton Free Methodist Church: Joe Plassmeyer. He bought us iced cream cones to celebrate our marriage!
Then we drove to a place called The Summit. It was a honeymoon resort in the Pocono Mountains. We had a room with a heart shaped hot tub and a king sized bed! We ate with many other couples in a lovely dining room! Some were celebrating anniversaries as well as marriages.
One afternoon we participated in 'sack races'. That evening we were presented a trophy at the evening meal titled: 'Best in the Sack at The Summit". No kidding (I still have it)!
Actually, we didn't do a lot of celebrating. Deb pretty quickly got an infection and had to see a doctor for an antibiotic. :-(
Upon our arrival back at my folk's house, we opened all of our wedding gifts. On Saturday, we packed up a U-Haul truck and headed for Wilmore, Kentucky, where I would soon be attending Asbury Theological Seminary.
Debbie followed me in our old Buick. Going through Cincinnati, I told her to stick close to me. Most of the time, I couldn't even see her because she was so close behind the truck!
We pulled into Wilmore around 9:00 PM. I backed the truck up to our duplex door and we collapsed. Suddenly, couples started appearing from every direction. In short order, the truck was unloaded. Debbie simply stood at the door and told people where to put things. A few women sneaked into our bedroom and set up the bed; even found our sheets and had it all ready for us to climb into! We didn't even know most of these people, but we do remember that Wayne and Becky Sawyer were part of the group!
Monday morning, Debbie started her new job at the First Security National Bank in Lexington. Shortly after, I began car-pooling with three other seminarians to UPS for the late-night shift! These guys became a support group for the next couple of years.
Within a week, Debbie pulled a muscle in her back and was laid up. We had no phone yet. I remember walking down the street late one night and calling home for advice. I truly felt the aloneness and responsibility I had for my new wife. She recovered after seeing a doctor and we got settled in to our new life together in a new place!
Forty-four years later, the adventure continues...
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