Real Life Love Stories | Bob and Cathy

I am so thankful for this couple, but I am especially thankful that God brought them together because they are Brian's parents! Let's face it, if they never met, fell in love, and married, my husband would not be here today.

Pops is such a gentle man, ready to lend a hand when any of his sons or daughters-in-law need him, and Mom has truly become my mom. I can talk to her about anything, and she willingly watches our children for us.

Brian and I read their answers together as I prepared this post. We loved it so much! We laughed at some parts, "awww"-ed, and had a burst of "No way!" when we read about the bracelet (you'll see what I mean).

This couple was the perfect couple to feature on Valentine's Day, because, as I learned from going back and forth with Mom, Valentine's Day was the day of their first date!

Here is their story....

1.  How old (young) were you when you met your husband?
 

I was 18 and he was 19.

2.  How did you meet?  Where?
 

photo taken after their wedding

We actually met at church.  Bob had cut his finger pretty bad at his work and got bored while sitting at home, so he decided to surprise his parents and meet them at church. His parents were newly Christians, and his mom had been trying to get him to come for quite sometime. He walked in and several of us girls watched him walk down the aisle to sit with his folks.

They had mentioned in the bulletin that we were having roller skating the next night and would be taking the church bus. After church that morning, Bob’s mom introduced him to me and one other girl.

The next day Bob had gone and traded his car in for a new one and did not plan on coming.  He was out driving it and happened to come behind the church bus!  He decided to follow it and came to the roller rink.

During roller skating they always had a devotional time, and everyone would sit down and listen.  Bob accepted the Lord as his Savior that night.  He also asked several of us if we wanted to ride back in his car.  Three of us girls got in the back and another guy got in the front.

There was another time where I had been to the church and Bob was driving by and asked if he could take me home.  (Actually driving by was not that he lived close to the church, it was in another town but he wanted to get to know me better.) 

3.  When and what was your first date?

Probably a week or so later I asked him if he wanted to go to our Valentine’s Party.  It was being held at another church that we sometimes got together with.  So that was our first date, Valentine’s day 1969.

After that we went out to dinner together a lot, we went to ball games, roller skating, bowling etc.

We were brought up that we don’t ‘park,’and my mother always had the porch light on at our house.  We had been to a Tiger baseball game in Detroit that day and Bob was driving around before taking me back home and lingered a little longer than needed at a stop sign and asked me to marry him.  I said yes, and he brought me home.

I remember my folks were in bed, but I rushed in and told them that we were engaged.  They were happy but just surprised that he had brought me home before 10:00!  Bob always made sure I was home by curfew, even if we did just get engaged!

For my birthday the next month he gave me my diamond ring, a cookbook and a stop sign charm for my charm bracelet to symbolize where he asked me to marry him.  I still to this day have that bracelet and charm.

4.  How long did you date each other before you were married?

Actually we were going to wait a year or so.  Bob had gotten drafted into the army for the Viet Nam War.  He decided to join the Air Force instead but did not pass the hearing test.  Bob has always had trouble with his hearing. We also talked about going to Bible college. I would work while he went.

We got married August 8, 1969.  We were both 19 and had only known each other for 7 months!  But we were very much in love.

Bob never did go to college.  He ended up working for an electrical supply store and learned to be an electrician.  He is now an electrical inspector and works for Hernando County where he has worked for around 20 years now.  We had our first son February 21, 1972 and had three more sons in the next several years.  We moved to Florida in April of 1983, where each of our sons have gotten married and raised their own families, except for our second son, Ricky, who was in the Air Force and met his wife in South Carolina where he is raising his family. 

5.  How long have you been married?

This August will be 45 years!!! 

6.  What is one piece of advice that you would give to young women who are currently walking through the journey of marriage?
 

Brian is the 3rd boy from the left.

We were only 19 years old when we got married but we were ready to be married.  So many couples have gotten divorced because they say they were married too young.  We were young but we have made it this far.

You have to work at it.

The Lord has helped us.  We brought our family up in the Lord.  You have to trust in Him. We have had our fights, or I should say arguments, but we still love each other. You have to learn to give and take, to compromise.

Bob is my best friend.  That is the key.  To make your mate your BEST friend.  I don’t go on vacations without him, and he doesn’t go anywhere without me either.  I remember going to my grandmother’s funeral in Michigan and having to fly up there for a week.  I did not like to be apart from him.

  

7.  What has been your favorite part of married life?
 

Just to be with him.  Having his children.  And then having our grandchildren.  I remember our first grandchild being born.  She was born in January 1992.  After having 4 sons and no daughters we were very excited to have a granddaughter!!!

Since then we have had 5 more grandchildren.  We have 3 wonderful grandsons and 3 beautiful granddaughters!  We also may have 4 sons, but now we have 4 daughter-in-laws that we love very much too.  Bob is still working but soon to retire also, and I am looking forward to many more years together.