12 hours ago May 29, 2026joynealkidney

Married 60 Years!

The meal program at the State College of Iowa didn’t include Sunday supper so area churches offered them, plus fellowship. That’s how Guy and I met, at the Cedar Falls EUB Church group, having been invited there by friends. We were juniors in college. Neither of us had a car so we’d catch rides to the gatherings. Our first date was in the spring of 1965, to see the movie Goldfinger. We walked, as usual.

Judy and John Schild are on either side of the bride and groom, May 29, 1966

We fell in love and were married in that same church May 29, 1966, six days before graduating. Guy had joined the Air Force, a delayed enlistment, and wouldn’t become active until the end of the summer.

If we’d waited another week to get married, my sis and cousins (mostly students at SCI and Iowa State University at Ames) would be scattered across the country–sis Gloria was a bride’s maid, cousin Judy played the organ, cousin Ken sang, cousin Vince was an usher.

Former roommate Judy Bauer had married John Schild the December before. They’d also met at the EUB group and were married in that church. (We were in each other’s weddings.) Alas, Judy lost John a couple of years ago.

The Air Force trained Guy as an air traffic controller and, after two years at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, sent him to Vietnam. He’s a Vietnam vet with Parkinson’s these days (and more), I deal with fibromyalgia and Crohn’s.

We are grateful and devoted companions now in our do-si-do journeys of unwellness.

Celebrating with lunch out!

“Because marriage is an extended journey, perseverance is an important marital character quality.” – Paul David Trip, in Everyday Gospel

37 comments

  6. Happy anniversary, both of you! Sixty years together is a great testimony to all the young couples out there, It CAN be done!

    Reply

  7. Your perseverance and affection for one another in throughout “for better or for worse”, have been a great testimony to the God Who sustains you as one. I’m grateful to be a witness to your beautiful do si dos.

    Reply

  8. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Congratulations to both of you. It has been said, the best marriages are when each partner believes they got the best end of the deal. I can honestly say I believe you both did.

    Reply

  10. Offering congratulations doesn’t seem like enough. 60 years together is simply amazing! Thank you for sharing the story of how you met. I love that you walked to your first date and that you saw Goldfinger.

    Reply

  13. Meeting in church and marrying there too seems to be a formula for success at the difficult job of marriage! You and your favourite Guy are role models. Thank you!! (My Doug and I met at a church supper for university students in September 1988 [neither of us was a university student at the time, but that’s another story]). We had our first date in October 1988 and he finally stopped running in August 1995. Our almost 31 years are nothing compared to your 60, and at the age of 80, I sort of doubt that I’ll be around that long. I’m so very glad to have you as examples of what is possible ❤️

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.