Couples to renew love, vows on Valentine’s DayBy Marissa Bruno,
mbruno@mysuburbanlife.comBartlett Press
Posted Feb 10, 2011 @ 05:51 PM
Bartlett, IL —
On Valentine’s Day Monday, the Victory Centre of Bartlett, a supportive living facility, will hold a vow renewal ceremony for local couples who want to rejuvenate their marriage. The following four couples plan to participate in the ceremony and shared their love stories and secrets to making marriage work.
Art and Mary Lindblad; Married 42 years on Dec. 15, 1968If Mary Lindblad were to describe her husband, she might call him a clown.
While some people might take that as an insult, her husband Art Linblad takes it as a compliment. For 50 years, he was an actual clown.
Both Art and Mary were previously married before they met — her husband died, while he was divorced. They found each other after fate stepped in and Mary was the insurance saleswoman for a house Art was looking to buy.
“We just hit it off,” he said.
Within six months, Art proposed to Mary during a date that included a movie (they saw “Yours, Mine and Ours”) and coffee.
He put an engagement ring inside a box of Cracker Jack.
The couple renewed their vows once before, for their 25th wedding anniversary. But this Valentine’s Day, the Lindblads are ready to renew again.
“We’ve gone through 42 years of trials and tribulations, so it’s time to do it again,” Mary said.
The Lindblads settled in Hanover Park, where they’ve lived for 50 years and raised five children. They now have six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren with a fourth on the way in May.
Mary said the renewal ceremony will be a milestone for the couple after Art overcame serious illness in the last year.
“When we get to 45 years, we’ll make a big thing of it,” she said. “It’s about trust and support. We’re soulmates and true friends.”
Joe and Marion Schatzinger; Married 48 years on Sept. 27, 1962When Joe Schatzinger saw his wife Marion at a swimming pool at a Chicago hotel in 1962, he knew he was going to marry her.
Even though Marion, a German immigrant, didn’t speak English when they met, Joe was still able to sweep her off her feet that day because he also spoke German.
Joe said he proposed shortly after they met when they were at a friend’s wedding. They married at City Hall in Chicago just six months after their initial meeting. Marion’s sister and brother-in-law were the only ones who attended the ceremony.
“It was a small wedding,” said Marion, who wore a black dress she purchased for $85. “We had no relatives here. They lived in Europe.”
Now, after 48 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, the Streamwood couple said the timing is right for them to renew their vows.
“The best part of marriage is that you belong to someone and you get to see your kids grow up together,” Marion said. “We’re going through with it all over again, and get the make the same mistakes all over again.”
Robert and Shirley Kaczmarek; Married 52 years on Sept. 20, 1958Bartlett residents Shirley and Robert Kaczmarek don’t always agree on certain things, but when it comes to the importance of their 52-year union, the couple is on the same page.
Shirley said this will be the second time she and her husband will renew their vows. The renewed for the first time during a church ceremony for their 25th anniversary.
“I think it’s a good thing to do because we didn’t do it at 50 years,” Shirley said. “If you have the thought behind it and the heart behind it, I think that’s all that matters.”
Shirley met Robert on a blind date while he was home from serving in the Navy. They were married within a year of being together.
The couple has six children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild who’s scheduled to be delivered next week.
Shirley said she attributes their longevity to accepting and forgiving each other.
“It takes a lot of patience, and you have to be optimistic,” Shirley said. “No matter what life brings to your door, you know it will be OK. “It’s not easy, believe me, it’s not easy,” she added. “Everybody has their bumps and you have to manage to do it and let bygones be bygones.”
Art and Helen Polich; Married 61 years on April 15, 1950For Art Polich, Valentine’s Day is not just significant because he gets to spend it with his wife of 61 years, Helen, but also because it happens to be his birthday.
It’s also no coincidence that Art’s middle name is Valentine.
“I have my own special valentine every year,” Helen said.
The Polichs will be one of several couples who will renew their vows on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, at a ceremony hosted by the Victory Centre of Bartlett where the Polich’s are residents.Although the couple renewed their vows on their 40th and 50th anniversaries, as well as last year at the Victory Centre, where they are residents, Helen said each time is a reminder of the significance of their marriage.
“Each time we renew our vows, it makes our marriage stronger,” she said. “Sometimes we forget some of the words, so it is nice to get to do it again.”
The pair met when Art was Helen’s work supervisor when she was 17 years old Art said “he just knew” she was the one for him.
“I didn’t propose to her — I told her I was going to marry her,” Art said.
Together, they raised three children and now, they have 11 grandchildren.
Helen said the key to their marriage has been a lot of laughter and trust.
“You really have to love one another if you stay together this many years,” Helen said. “We consider ourselves blessed.”
Art, a constant jokester, said even though “a lot of the ladies are after him” at the Victory Centre, he only has eyes for his wife.
“We were meant for one another, but I don’t listen to her and she doesn’t listen to me,” he said.
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