Saturday, February 25, 2012

Saturday Snapshot: Mom and Dad

I wrote this post several years ago for my family history blog, which I've mostly neglected ever since. But as the anniversary date has rolled around again, I figured I'd recycle it for Saturday Snapshot.

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This would have been my parents' 70th wedding anniversary. I wanted to put up a photo in honor of the day, so I went searching through my albums. I knew I wouldn't find a wedding photo because there weren't any. My mom and dad were married in 1942, two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and just before my father enlisted in the Navy. It was a sudden decision, with the ceremony performed at the county courthouse – no fancy trappings or guests. And no commemorative photos.

But just finding a photograph of the two of them together was a challenge. Neither of them really liked having their picture taken, so they rarely sat for professional photographers. This shot is one of the earliest I found – taken in 1939 when they were high school sweethearts. They "went together" for a number of years before he popped the question. According to my mom's version of the romantic tale, he told her if she'd just get a job they could get married!

Well, she never got that job – her only ambition was to be a housewife and mother. And it took the uncertainty of a World War to push my father into action. They were happily married for fifteen years – until he died of heart failure a few months before his 37th birthday. My mother outlived him by forty-four years, and never remarried.

Yes, he was very tall – unfortunately, his height is something I didn't inherit. And although in this photo my mother looks like she's dressed herself from Salvation Army bins, she ordinarily had a much sharper fashion sense!

I miss them both.

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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books, and as she says: "To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online."

16 comments:

  1. Great to remember good times and imagine those we love before we were around. Here's Mine

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  2. What a sweet picture and story. That must have been so shocking for him to die at such a young age!

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  3. Those were tricky times to get married in. My parents got married about a year before the stock market crash in '29 and there aren't really any photos of them either. Your parents looked so young.

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  4. Lovely memories. Thanks for the sharing them with us.

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  5. So sad about your father!! It must have been very a very hard time for your mother.

    I think your mother looks great for that time. The made a great looking couple!

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  6. They are cute together. I am sorry they did not get more years together.

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  7. What a story! Thanks for sharing. I love the photo.

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  8. I love that story! My parents were married in 1935, so there weren't a lot of photos, either.

    Your mom looks really young.

    It's great to enjoy remembering....

    Here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT

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  9. That is such a sweet story! They look so young in that photo (but then I did see that it's high school snapshot).

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  10. Very lovely vintage photo! Thanks for sharing this terrific photo and story!

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  11. I absolutely LOVED this photo!!!!!!!!!! and the story was great too!

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  12. What a sweet photo. My parents were married in Sept of 1940, and all I have is their wedding photo.

    Thanks so much for sharing this treasure.

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  13. I'm sure you do miss them. I love the photo - it speaks volumes.

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  14. A lovely photo, they both look so young! Sad that your father died so young.

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  15. What a funny and sweet story! I love family history.

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  16. He was very tall but then, Aunt Velma was pretty short but it makes a really cute picture. I don't have any photos of my mom and dad's wedding either.

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