Today would have been my parent's 76th wedding anniversary if they were alive today. They were married at my Great Uncle John's farm just outside of Geneva, Illinois (see photo on the left). I myself never saw that farm, but my sister (who is much much much older than me) stayed there a few times when she was a child. She fondly remembers sitting on the porch out front in the evenings, and then saying good night to the cows before going to bed. Uncle John was also a plumber, in addition to being a farmer, and his plumbing shop was later turned into a fancy restaurant in Geneva called the Mill Race Inn. I understand that it is no longer there, either. Life is fleeting.
In any case, I remember my parents best the way they look in the photograph on the right. It was taken by my Uncle Jack (my mother's brother) in front of his and my Aunt Helen's house in Evergreen park, Illinois. My mother once told me that this was her favorite photograph of the two of them. In 1976 my father and mother retired to Stuart, Florida, where they spent their happiest days. My father passed away in 1984, but at least he had 8 happy years of retirement. A lot of people don't even get that. My mother lived in Stuart for 30 years, and absolutely loved the place. If their spirits live on, it is probably there.
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