theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 28 | february 28, 2014
Couple’s marriage spans 80 years By Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com
O
LATHE — Alice and Dale Rockey were both dating other people when a Sunday afternoon drive to the country changed everything. It was 1933, and the two couples had double-dated before. But that day, Dale’s girlfriend was working at her parents’ movie theater. “So Dale was kind of killing time until he could pick her up, and he came by my house,” said Alice, who was sitting on the porch when he arrived. “Come on, go for a ride with me,” he suggested. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.
‘Always rich’ Dale and Alice Rockey, 98-year-old members of St. Paul Parish in Olathe, celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary on Dec. 29, 2013. The anniversary marked a milestone not only for them, but for married couples in Kansas. Deacon Tony Zimmerman, lead consultant for the archdiocesan office of marriage and family life, presented a certificate to the Rockeys in February, honoring them for the longevity of their marriage in celebration of World Marriage Day. Dale was 18 and Alice was just a few days shy of her 18th birthday when they said, “I do,” in 1933. With the country in the throes of the Great Depression, the couple started out their married life with only $11 to their name. But Dale would tell newlyweds even today to do the same. Back then, it cost about $2 for the marriage license, and Dale gave the priest about $2.50. With a tank of gas, the newlyweds spent a couple of nights with Dale’s aunt and uncle. “That was our honeymoon,” he said. He headed back to work the next day. Dale made a career in Ford dealerships, with most of those years spent in Alliance, Neb.
“We never had a lot of money, but we were always rich.”
>> See “They” on page 11
Lenten regulations
Leaven photo by Susan McSpadden
Dale and Alice Rockey, members of St. Paul Parish in Olathe, recently celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. Alice said the secret to making marriage last is simple: “I always let him have my way.”
All Catholics 14 years of age and older are obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and all the Fridays of Lent. Catholics 18 to 59 years of age are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday — a fast consisting of one normal meal and two lesser meals, with no eating in between. It is also recommended that Catholics find opportunities throughout the Lenten season to complement their fasts with prayer, reception of the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist, and positive works of charity.