One Hundred Fifty Years of Marriage
Since my wife Crystal and I met forty plus years ago we have been fascinated by stories about our parents youths. In an effort to immortalize those stories along with details from our own youths we wrote the memoir “One Hundred Fifty Years of Marriage”. Recently published by “Light Messages Publishing”, this is the story of three couples, six individuals and their families, life’s many challenges, and love’s endurance. From a baby boomer’s point of view, this memoir will transport you to Europe during WWII, to the jungles of the Philippines, to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to San Francisco, to Chicago at different time periods, and to the prairie land of Peoria, Illinois. My father, a German Jew, saw Hitler in a parade when he was a child in Germany. He came to America at thirteen and went back to Germany as a counter intelligence agent during WWII. My mother grew up in poverty in Germany, surviving the war and hardship, along with many other German families. My father-in-law left high school in Chicago to join the Navy, to go back with General McArthur to the Philippines, suffered from “Dengue fever” and a gunshot wound. My mother-in-law worked in a factory in Wisconsin during the war. She also frequented the Kenosha USO, where she met my father–in-law the day before he was shipped out to the Pacific Theater. My wife, Crystal, and I grew up about fifteen miles apart in the suburbs of Chicago. We met at Bradley University in 1975 at a fraternity party. Little did we know at the time that both sets of our parents had met because of WWII. In both cases their meetings, and subsequent romances, were fraught with numerous ironic and fateful events. In addition to our efforts to get this book published, our goal is that, others may be as blessed as we have been. Somewhere in the 20 plus year process of writing our memoir, we realized a greater concern. Marriage, as an institution, is suffering in this country and around the world. There are no quick fixes or easy answers. Like most things in life, marriage takes work to be successful. We hope the discussions on this site can at least help. Nothing will change if we do nothing.
- Go With God
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Our daughter and son-in-law on their wedding day.
Jeannette Hood
February 10, 2013 at 7:36 pm
I remember that kiss! A very happy day!
Love,
Jeannette (the maid of honor)
Lori Zapf
June 16, 2015 at 2:29 am
Ron and Crystal, I am totally honored to be able to learn and grow from the wisdom of your families lives. THANK YOU for sharing this with me. It is beautiful and so eloquently written. I can’t read it fast enough….I am so grateful for this love story and for you taking the time to document it..This is a blessing and gift from God. I am deeply touched. This is what the world needs….married couples need to follow in your footsteps. I’m already inspired !
When you gave me this website, I had no idea what this was….what an incredible surprise. I can feel the love between you and your parents as I read it. I honestly have never read anything more beautiful.
It’s a masterpiece…definitely needs to be published ( maybe a movie ?????)
LOVE IT…..SIMPLY LOVE IT !!!!!!!
I am blessed because of you and grateful that my path has crossed yours,
With love, Lori
Ron
June 16, 2015 at 5:53 am
Thanks very much Lori. Tell your friends. I agree, this would make a great movie. I have started to work on the outline for a screenplay, but Crystal tells me the book must be published first. Unfortunately, she’s usually right about these things.
Lori Zapf
June 16, 2015 at 10:00 pm
Keep working on the screenplay…. This needs to be a movie ! I feel more couples would love to see your story portrayed in the theaters vs. both reading the book.
Sue (Meinstein) Zukor-Ouro
June 6, 2019 at 2:16 am
Nice read. I love hearing family stories. I enjoy knowing how they first met and how the years have treated them since.
Suzie Tupper
December 19, 2020 at 2:54 pm
Ron and Crystal,
Congratulations on the publication of your book. I look forward to reading it.
So glad you not only wanted to preserve your family memories, but also to provide encouragement to all marriages.
Marriage was created by God, and is His plan for human intimacy.
Robin Mullet
January 27, 2021 at 2:48 pm
Congratulations on your book. Hope it does well!
Ron
February 1, 2021 at 6:58 am
Thanks Robin!
Bryan Ghiloni MD
June 17, 2021 at 1:11 am
Ron and Crystal, I just finished your book. Thanks for sharing your personal family experiences. While I do not believe there is one right answer, your family certainly has found a recipe for successful marriages and families. Why don’t we teach this stuff in school? Renee and I will have been married 30 years this fall. I think you both are spot on with your observations and precepts. Thanks again.
Ron
June 19, 2021 at 11:31 am
Thank you so much Dr. Ghiloni; not only for your Kind comment, but for your wonderful care, and compassion for dad, during the final years of his life. He always told, anyone who would listen, how good you were to him.