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Vol. 9, No. 19, Tuesday, February 19, 2014
Love; Old Fashioned Style Andrew couple 60 years strong
Michelle Pinon Editor
“Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end, we used to dance forever and a day...” Just like those lyrics in that folk song ‘Those Were The Days’, Victor and Anne Matiaszow met at a dance at the Andrew Hall more than 60 years ago. The 81-year-olds smile at each other as they recall being introduced to each other by a friend in the early fifties. “Those were the days,” notes Victor, who has stood by his bride of 60 years since they exchanged wedding vows on Oct. 24, 1954. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. and after church the bride and groom went their separate ways. That sounds very unconventional by today’s standards, but was the normal practice and tradition of the time, points out Victor. “She went home to her wedding party, and I w e n t home to m y
wedding party,” he added. After lunch and a bit of dancing, Victor set out for the bride’s parents’ place, six miles away. While six miles doesn’t seem like a long way, “back in those days it was a long way,” noted Victor as the vehicles and roads were quite archaic and caused a great many challenges, (especially in winter). For example, salt had to be spread on windshields to prevent freezing and water kept warm in order to start the engine. “Back in those days, there was no antifreeze,” chuckles Victor. When he arrived at the gate, Victor had to pay off Anne’s former boyfriends in order to again access to the farmstead. Then he had to pay off Anne’s brother. “Had I know this, I wouldn’t have married her,” laughed Victor, while Anne gestured with her backhand and a big grin plastered on her face. There were many loving glances as the couple shared stories about their life together, raising two children and operating several businesses over the years. The couple had another banquet and danced most of the night away, before retiring to the Andrew Hotel
for their honeymoon night. Victor regaled me with the tale of not being allowed to physically share the bed until they had been married three weeks. I almost bought the entertaining story, hook, line and sinker, before he laughed with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. One of their fondest memories was heading down to the river to enjoy a bonfire and dancing in the summer with a group of 20 to 30 friends. “Everybody danced and sang!” said Victor. Both he and Anne relished those weekend get togethers, and would encourage the youth of today to stay connected face to face, while enjoying a variety of activities with each other. They were still getting together with friends at the Andrew Lodge on Valentine’s Day, and plan to keep sharing their loving ways with their friends, family and each other for years to come.