June 26, 1965

Forty-five years ago my husband Gerard and I committed ourselves to growing as a couple and founding a family together.  We were full of dreams.  We were in love.  Nothing would ever change that.

We met while I was doing my student teaching in St. Joseph, Michigan where he was working for a year with Whirlpool Corp. to learn the American way of doing business.  He was Swiss and had just finished his Engineering studies at the famous University of Technology in Zurich.   It wasn’t necessarily love at first sight, but there was a definite bonding that grew as we got to know each other and sparked that love .

He didn’t win me over with lavish gifts and flowers.  He did it fighting off imaginary dragons, flying kites, sailing, and blowing bubbles from the life guard stand.  Sunsets and walks on the beach gave us ample opportunity to get to know each other and to talk about the future.   It was often with laughter since his English was still rusty and my French was what I had learned in high school.  We learned to give the other the benefit of the doubt if something came out oddly. – Like the romantic evening that he told me I was a “witch” when he really meant that I was like a fairy God mother.

It may sound odd to younger people today, but this all created a solid foundation. – One that is lasting.

Bonnie Announcements, Life Stages - Ages 45th wedding anniversary, Michigan, solid foundation, St. Joseph