Submitted by Gary Brunk
On August 18th, 1958 I was a teenage lad working a summer job on a remodeling crew at our local Montgomery Ward’s store. Early afternoon the foreman sent me to the warehouse across the alley for some materials as I was the “go-fer”. A teenage girl was standing inside looking lost so I asked her what she needed. She said she had just been hired to help the warehouse manager. I whistled one of my loud whistles and yelled for Opal the manager. She yelled back, what do you want? So I yelled back about the young lady waiting for her. Opal took over and put her to work.
Later that afternoon I was again sent to the warehouse where I saw the sweet young thing pinning small price tags onto clothing as they did back in that era. I asked her her name and then out of the blue for some unknown reason: How about a date? Would you like to go to a movie? She said, “maybe…I might,” so I went back to work. When I came back through she asked, “when?” I replied, “tonight?” and she said, “okay.” After I was back in my work area I realized all I knew was her name was Janice. No last name, no phone number, no address at which to pick her up. I went back across the alley and asked for the relevant information. She also requested my name and some particulars about where I lived. Our “home town” was well known for class distinction. We had the rich side, the middle-class, and the poor side, at that time.
We agreed on the movie: State Fair starring Pat Boone at a local drive-in theater and a time to pick her up. I went out the door and all I could recall was she had brown hair, blue eyes, and something different or special about her. Not necessarily beauty, but something, that intrigued me.
I arrived promptly and went up to her door where I was greeted by her parents and three sisters. It wasn’t long before I realized I was being scrutinized and it made me nervous. Evidently, I passed inspection as we were allowed to resume our date.
That day was the beginning of almost three years of dating (on and off with squabbles) and initiated our engagement the summer of 1960 under a Eucalyptus tree near El Toro California, where I was stationed. It also initiated a marriage of 60+ years on January 7th, 1961 while I was serving in the Marine Corps, and later, a family with four children we are very proud of.
We enjoyed and shared many Valentines together over the years, but we shared our last one, in my memory. The evening she passed away, February 13th, 2021 here at home hospice was our last Valentine’s Day. Sixty-one years, one month and six days, and she’s still my domestic goddess and special Valentine. And the wonderful brown-haired, blue-eyed enigma, of my life.
A single moment can spark a lifetime of beautiful memories. Preserve your memories…they’re all that’s left you.
