February 22, 1962

47 years ago two twenty-two year olds got married in Baltimore, MD. He was about to leave for Germany to be stationed with Army Intelligence near Frankfurt for at least 18 months. . She had graduated from college and was working in a laboratory on the Eastside of Manhattan and still lived at home. That was the custom then. Most girls went from their parents home to live with their husbands. She had driven down with her Mom, Step-Dad and sister, his Mom and Dad and sister. They got married in the chapel on Ft. Holabird on February 22, 1962. It was a holiday, Washington's birthday. They thought they would have a holiday on their anniversary . Then they created President's Day and took it away. It was a cold nasty snowy day and it almost didn’t happen as they were late arriving at the place where they were going to pick him up and he was freezing having waited so long. It was before the days of the cell phone and you just had to wonder and wait. After the ceremony, they had a small dinner at a local tavern and someone played the Anniversary Waltz on the jukebox for them to dance to. It was the first time they got married. It was “ till death we do part. “ It was the first kiss as man and wife.

Everyone drove back to NY. The newlyweds stayed at the Sheraton in Baltimore for 3 days and then she had to go back to NY. She knew it would be a long time before she would see him again. They kissed good-bye. She can still remember him running alongside the train as her train pulled out of the station. It was like you see in the movies. She did not let him see her cry. The next six months were spent in writing love letters and phone calls for special occasions, like his birthday. One call cost 120.00 dollars. The next time she saw him he would be running along the dock in Bremerhaven, Germany as her ship pulled into the harbor. He was waiting with a big bouquet of roses. They kissed hello and hello and hello again. It was August 1962. It took six months to save for her boat fare and for them to live off base, or “on the economy” as they called it.

Here is a story about how she felt about the kisses

Thirty-Three Thousand Kisses…
May 31, 1998

That’s how many she thinks they’ve given each other in their days together. She doesn’t remember them all. She remembers the first one was just about as short as the last one. Each one a promise of something to come in their own way. He was 22, strong, handsome and full of life. He had just joined the Army and was going on a holiday to Puerto Rico before having to report to Ft. Dix. It was a warm New York summer night at Jones Beach in May 1961, waves lapping gently at the shore, a big full moon lit up the white sand and the salty breeze blew through her curly hair and made it curlier and damp. He wore a red hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. She thought he was someone very special and hoped he found her interesting. His hair was cropped short and slanted straight down over the front of his forehead. He kissed her for the first time at the beach. It was a wonderful, friendly kiss, the way first kisses should be. It said, “ I will never do you any harm. “
The last earthly kiss was so tender so as not to hurt his fragile, parched lips. The strength of the body was gone. As the skin and flesh dwindled from cancer, the Spirit has grown so strong to reveal a dimension not seen before. It was a very small kiss on the lips, hoping that there would be another one tomorrow.
In between were the kisses that said I love you, you make my life complete. There were kisses of thank you and kisses that said we will make a new life. There were kisses that said, “I’m sorry and I wish I had never said that.” There were kisses of comfort and joy. There were kisses that teased and brought passion. There were rivers and oceans of kisses that lapped at their separate souls gently, until they were one. There were kisses hello and kisses that said good-bye. There was one kiss that said I will love you and will honor you forever.
Thirty-three thousand kisses. Every love has a first and a last one. Some have more in between and some have less. What matters is that they were given freely and the lives that mingled will always be remembered in some way.
In two or three generations we will be names on a page. I want our loved ones to remember us on warm summer nights, when the gentle breeze is blowing. Somewhere out there we are kissing each other. We do not have to count them any more. They are endless and each one is as sweet as the first.

June 10th, 1981, the second time they were married for eternity in the Salt Lake Temple