Wedding Memories
July 2025
Dear Mom,
This July 8th, Fred and I will have been married for forty-seven years. 47!! It seems like only yesterday. I feel eternally grateful that both you and Dad were able to be with us on that day. You two always supported me, and it felt very important that you were there on July 8th. Thank you!
I have many happy memories of that day. I hope that is true for all brides. I wore my grandmother’s wedding gown from 1912—it was a perfect fit. We were married by the stone wall behind Fred’s family home on Nottingham Square in New Hampshire at 7PM. It was the only Saturday that month that it did not rain.
We had friends, all professional musicians, who played for us—a harpsicord, violin, bassoon and clarinet. What a sweet combination. A student of mine from UNH wrote and sang a song for us, while she played her guitar.
Since Dad was already in a wheelchair, Charlie walked me down the aisle to where Dad was sitting. He made a great effort to stand up and put my hand in Fred’s. Then he sat down. The service was brief and beautiful, with our pastor from Wolfeboro marrying us. We each wrote our own vows and spoke from the heart.
It was so different from your wedding in 1943. Dad was already in the Army but had a leave which was cut short. So you were married and spent your honeymoon on the train from Michigan to Durham, New Hampshire. Then you were separated for three years. I cannot begin to imagine how hard that was for you both, but I am blessed to have two boxes filled with your letters to each other. I have no doubt that those letters kept Dad alive.
Fred and I enjoyed a fabulous honeymoon travelling in Spain for five weeks, visiting dear friends and enjoying the incredible beauty and cuisine of that country. Then it was time to go back to our teaching jobs.
Just four months later, you called to tell me that Dad had died. I was heartbroken, but so grateful he was with us all on July 8. Thank you both for teaching me what a good marriage looks like—mutual kindness and caring, loving and hugging, helping and comforting. I am deeply grateful to you both.
Love,
Helen
