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WINTER SPORTS WIN: State tournaments scheduled PAGE 12A
Love finds a way for 50th anniversary celebration Getting Frisbees and paper airplanes thrown at you outside the church where you were married is not the usual way for anniversary celebrations to go, but that is exactly how John and Peggy Parenteau of White Bear Lake celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The Parenteaus had originally planned a party with 250 guests for the occasion, but the risks of Covid-19 put a dent in this longawaited plan. Instead, Peggy’s lifelong friend and sister-in-law Mary Parenteau, with the help of John and Peggy’s daughter, came up with a different kind of celebration—a drive-by anniversary. Guests were invited to drive past the gathering shouting their congratulations and tossing their well wishes written on popopen Frisbees and folded paper planes. Father Frank Talbot was able to provide a blessing, both in the Parenteaus’ driveway near the church and later at the drive-by celebration. “I felt just blessed we were able to see all these people and go out with
Friends shared congratulatory messages on signs and toy planes at the drive-by party.
our family, to go to church together,� Peggy said. “I know so many people that have gotten their 50th anniversary blessed via the computer, or have somebody sick so they can’t even go get it. We feel lucky we’re healthy and be able to do as much as we did.� Following the celebration, the Parenteaus were able to share a special dinner with their children, grandchildren, and one greatgrandchild at Tinucci’s Restaurant in Newsport. John and Peggy first met at a hockey game at Aldrich Arena in 1967, when Peggy was a senior in high school and John was newly graduated. “Her best friend was going with my brother,� John said. “That was where we kind of caught sight of each other.� The pair ended up going to Jerry’s Drive-In on White Bear Avenue together, and hit it off. They were already engaged when John deployed to Vietnam with the U.S. Air Force. From May of 1968, the pair sent letters back and forth while Peggy planned the wedding for March 1971. They were able to visit each other in Hawaii in October of 1970, and learned just a few weeks later that John was being sent home early—American forces were being withdrawn from Vietnam under President Richard Nixon. The Parenteaus’ wedding ended up being abruptly shifted three months sooner, but with a little creative thinking and help from friends and family, the wedding went off on Jan. 23, 1971. Peggy recalled every detail of the day: they were married at the church at 10:30 in the morning, followed by a family meal at the parish center. Then, off to Como Conservatory for wedding photos, and a reception at the rod and gun club.
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Every day at 1 p.m., good friends and compatriots Jim Sobieski and James Erickson gather near a propane-fueled fire to talk politics, philosophy and family in the front yard of Sobieski’s Mahtomedi home. Wine has replaced coffee, accompanied by cheese and crackers, but the daily ritual remains intact for the two retirees despite the pandemic. Sobieski describes their social hour as an “external presentation of our attempt to be safe from the virus.� They used to meet at a downtown Mahtomedi coffee shop with a larger group but COVID, lockdowns and some personal health problems forced them outside. “Jim and I try to keep some socialization intact,� Erickson said, so they bundle up on lawn chairs and socially distance around a fireplace table. “It barely keeps them warm,� observed Rob Thompson, another coffee shop regular who headed to Florida for the winter. “I think their commitment of friendship and resiliency has kept their spirits high. Their ritual of wine and cheese helps, too.� Thompson is a retired Sunrise Park Junior High School principal who still participates in the gab session via email. He’ll contribute something of interest he read on the internet, a joke or two, and lately, a “word of the day.� A word last week was orchidaceous. Sobieski, 80, and Erickson, 79, had to look it SEE HAPPY HOUR, PAGE 8A
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A week later, John and Peggy were in Alexandria, Louisiana, where John was stationed at the England Air Force base. After four years of service were up, the Parenteaus retuned to White Bear Lake. 11 years later, John entered the Air Force Reserve, and was enlisted for another 22 years. In all that time, John and Peggy have learned a few things about how to strike the right balance in a marriage of 50 years. “She has things she likes to do, I have things I like to do,� John said. “But then we have things that we enjoy doing together. She lets me go my way, I let her go her way. It’s just been a nice balance.� “I’m very talkative and he’s real quiet, but the more we’re married, you just appreciate you’re each others’ balance,� Peggy said. “We laugh a lot and have a good time. Don’t stop dating and don’t stop holding hands.� Both expressed their gratitude to their friends and family, showing up to support them even in a difficult time. “We were just glad we could do something, even if it was scaled down,� Peggy said. See more photos on page 9A.
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