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Love is in the air at Albright LIFE

COURTNEY HAYDEN/Sun-Gazette Beverly Seese sits down to make crafts for Valentine’s Day at Albright LIFE.

February is the month to celebrate love, and at Albright LIFE, that is no different. On Feb. 6 at Albright, 901 Memorial Ave., lovebirds made crafts and reminisced about their first loves.

Doris and Donald Muthler

Doris Muthler, 88, and her husband Donald, 89, have been together for 69 years. This October will be their 70th anniversary. They started dating when Doris was 19 and it only took 3 months before they were married.

Back then, the future groom would have to pay $2 to get a license to marry their bride-to-be and have the father sign off on it if they were under 21.

Doris and Donald grew up in Beech Creek. She was a “city girl, if that’s what you want to call Beech Creek,” she said, and he was a farmer who liked to coon hunt.

They went to high school together, but never really knew each other until they became square dance partners. On their first date, they went to see a movie and went square dancing after.

“It was snowing; it was a Saturday night and I thought he would never show up,” she said. “But there he comes through the snow. Snowed bad, so it must have been December.”

Donald asked her to marry him; they had a big wedding at Church of Christ, 161 N Beach St., Blanchard, and had the reception at her house. On their honeymoon, they stayed at the Fallon Hotel, 131 E. Water St., Lock Haven, and went to Niagara Falls the next day.

They ended up having five children, Donnie, Diane, Dale, David and Dennis.

“We’ve had a good life together,” Doris said.

The secret to a long marriage is to “trust each other,” said Donald, and to “take care of each other.”

Nancy and Gordon McCardy

Nancy and Gordon L. McCardy of Montoursville, have been together for 63 years, and Gordon is Nancy’s first love.

Nancy was close friends with Gordon’s brother, Don, who she graduated with, and Gordon was in the Air Force station in Germany. While there, Gordon sent Nancy a bottle of Evening in Paris.

“I went to church one day and I come home and Gordon was driving down the road,” and he honked his car, Nancy said. “I called him and said ‘I want to thank you for bottle of Evening in Paris,’ and Gordon said ‘that was nothing. That was just a little bottle of Evening in Paris, you know.’ “

Gordon then asked her out to Roaring Green, an amusement park in Sunbury for Easter — their first date. From there, they began dating and a little over a year later, he asked Nancy to marry him. They were married on Feb. 4, the same day as Nancy’s parents’ anniversary. From there, the couple had two sons, Norman and Michael.

For Nancy and Gordon, the key to marriage is love, kindness and caring for one another.

Ruth and Jerry Mulberger

Ruth and Jerry Mulberger have been married for 55 years and originally met in the 5th grade but the second time they met sparks flew at the roller rink, which is now the Woodward Township building, Route 220, Linden.

They had their first date at the roller rink and started dating around April. Jerry asked Ruth to marry him six months later in October. The two were 18 and 19 at the time, and Jerry asked Ruth’s mother for permission to marry her daughter.

“It was after we went skating one night. I told her there was a surprise for her in the glove compartment of my car,” said Jerry. “So she opened the glove compartment door and there it was, one of the fuzzy ring boxes.” Ruth still has her engagement ring till this day.

The two were married in the Warrensville United Methodist Church, 5784 Warrensville Road, Montoursville, and it snowed two foot that night. Ruth’s father took them home to their apartment and helped carry their gifts upstairs. They ended up having three children.

“She’s the best cook in the county,” Jerry said

Every marriage is unique and special to those involved and for a strong relationship you need trust, love, kindness, to care for one another and being a good cook doesn’t hurt either.

In addition to reminiscing about first loves and significant others, Albright LIFE residents also had the opportunity to make Valentine’s Day crafts such as construction-paper hearts, wreaths and necklaces.

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