I wrote this poem for my Mother and Father on their 60th Wedding Anniversary. And now 10 years later, it was fun to read it again and publish it here, a memento for their 70th Wedding Anniversary!
"Just Married" Sixty Years Ago
Cecelia and Johnny became sweethearts,
They met at St. Benedict's dance,
Knew they were meant for each other,
Right from the very first glance!
They went for long walks and fishing,
Then at Palmer Park they skated,
They danced to the "Big Bands" music,
In the Model A Ford they dated.
Married in October on the Fiirst,
In the year of Nineteen and Thirty-Eight,
Hazel Park had its newlyweds,
On Mapledale, the new house was great!
A new addition to the family,
A darling little girl arrived first,
Then a boy, and another boy,
Their little house might burst!!!
Johnny was drafted by Uncle Sam,
To go and fight in the war;
Then came the rationing of food,
Tires, gas, clothing and more.
Cecelia worked in Hudson's Bakery,
An additional income to earn,
To help support the family,
Waiting for her sailor to return.
Then Johnny built another house,
Two more boys and the family grew!
So Roseville had a new family,
More Decoteau's coming, who knew?
Next, building another house,
The last one to arrive was a boy!
Cass Lake, MI was a paradise,
To raise six children with joy.
And the carpenter had to build,
One last house on Morris lakeshore,
For his sons and adorable daughter,
His wife said, "We'll move no more!"
And as the years fly swiftly by,
All too soon the children are grown,
Grandparents, more love to share,
For grandchildren now fill their home!
Leaving Michigan, a move west,
California was the place to go;
They finally settled for retirement,
To enjoy the SUN, no SNOW!
And now...a look back. Over the years to all,
the fun and the memories, the times, we had a ball!
.....the handmade rocking chair for baby, Betty Ann, and the box sled so she wouldn't fall out! The "Hammer Joint"--White Castle hamburgers! The horse drawn milk wagon. The Ice wagon (we loved to get the chips off the back) and the fruit man's wagon came down the street. The "Sheeny Man" collecting scrap in the alley. RAG Curls. REM cough medicine, Numotizin plasters, "Lemon & Honey" for a cold.
.....The Shrine Circus--balloons, cotton candy and elephants. Clothes put through a washing machine wringer, the smell of them drying on the clothesline. Black Walnuts on the tree and feeding the squirrels.
.....The Michigan State Fair--the baby pigs, cows and horses, Mackinac Island Fudge and hot dogs on a stick! Easter bonnets and baskets and new shoes. "Ring, Ring, Ring", The Good Humor Man! Campbell's Tomato Soup and Velveeta grilled cheese sandwiches. The carnivals and the Bearded Lady with no body, I just had to see!
.....J.L. Hudson's Holiday Parades and Santa Claus on the top floor in a Christmas Wonderland! Put a quarter in the giant machine and out comes a special present! Penny candy at the corner drug store--candy dots on paper, Mary Jane's, Tootsie Pops, Licorice Whips, Cherry Hats, Wax pop bottles and lips (!), Tutti Fruitti and Beeman's chewing gum.
.....Sam Douglas' farm--cow pies and flies(!), the cabin, the swimming hole and getting "Frog Legs" in the creek. Our garden and "window" pheasant hunting in the corn stalks! Our chrome bell--one long and two short dings brought us home for dinner! Deep fryer "Gram Mere's" with jelly filling. The sled run in Roseville and our own Ice Rink!
.....Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner, dressing and gravy, cranberries, candied sweet potatoes, fruit cocktail salad and pumpkin pies with whipped cream! Christmas cookies--Date Pinwheels, Pecan Balls, Butterhorns. The perfect Fresh Cut Spruce tree, icecles and Santa's sleigh bells! Hammers and saws, kegs of nails and the smell of Saw Dust! Macaroni & Cheese with tomatoes and a cracker crumb top! Fried Yellow Wax Beans and a homegrown tomato sandwich with Miracle Whip Salad Dressing. Water skiing and picnics at Wagoner's cottage.
.....Sander's Caramel Cake and box of chocolates. Radio programs--The Lone Ranger, Baby Snooks, The Green Hornet, Amos and Andy, Lights Out! Halloween--"Help the Poor" begging for candy. The Franklin Cider Mill for cider and hot spiced donuts. Cass Lake--swimming to the raft, tapping the Maple trees, fishing off the dock, Elderberries around the Lagoon picked for jelly, W.B.H.S. and Our Lady of Refuge school.
.....Twin Pines Cottage Cheese in colored aluminum glasses delivered right to the door. Our FIRST T.V. in black and white--Howdy Doody, "Uncle Miltie" Milton Berle, I Love Lucy, Perry Como, Groucho Marx. The Harbor Bar "Friday Night Fish Fry's". The "Moron's" Men's Club putting on skits!
.....Picking Blueberries. Bread Pudding. Rice Pudding. Blanc Mange (French-white food) pudding! Sparklers and fireworks. Mom baking birthday cakes full of coins! Dad playing his Harmonica. Samsonite Luggage and Evening in Paris perfume! "All the wonderful things a child can remember, thanks to loving parents who shared it all!"
....."A toast to the best parents" 5 sons and a daughter ever had, "A Happy 60th Anniversary to our wonderful Mom and Dad". 
Love, Betty Ann
(Trying to see what year car is parked in the driveway?
Click on the photo of me in my box sled to see it up close and personal!)
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