Never go to bed until you kiss goodnight, whether you are mad at each other or not.
That’s the advice of Ruby Crosby, Cavalier, N.D., who with her husband, John, will be celebrating 75 years of marriage October 25. She said, “We always kiss goodnight.”
They had big celebrations on their golden wedding anniversary and again when they had been married 65 years. This year, they are more comfortable in the quiet of their home. On Sundays, they watch their favorite church service on television.
There was a time when Ruby and Johnny went every Sunday to First United Methodist Church in Cavalier. But as the years rolled by, the concrete steps seemed to grow too steep for them. They used to eat and play cards at the senior center, too, when it was easier to get out.
Ruby was 94 on August 13. Johnny was 96 on October 8.
They were 17 and 19 when they were married by Judge Carson at the courthouse October 25, 1933. When John’s mother died, they moved in with his dad, William Crosby, to a farm north of Cavalier. The nearby school is named after William Crosby, who was clerk of the school board.
The Crosbys had one son, Donald, who died in 1985. They have grandchildren and great-grandchildren who come occasionally for visits.
They moved back into Cavalier 10 years ago. And that is where they met in the first place, when John would come into town to play pool.
Ruby was one of 10 sisters and had four brothers when she was growing up in Cavalier. Her family had come to North Dakota from Saskatchewan. John had a twin brother who died long ago.
John is tall, and Ruby is short. She blames that on being hit once by a Model T Ford.
But she could dance, and she enjoyed dancing with John. She doesn’t mind saying, even now, that she didn’t like it very well when he would go out with her sister, Eva.
And, to this day, John insists he just wanted to be sure he got “the right one.”
He and Ruby went to dances almost every week, and she remembers how they would dance polkas, waltzes and even the butterfly and the fox trot.
The Crosbys are warm, friendly people.
She uses a walker to get around the house. He wears a support for his back. He helps her with the cooking because she can’t stand for very long. She washes the dishes, and he dries them. She reads the Grand Forks Herald and the Cavalier Chronicle to John. He watches “Wheel of Fortune” and Lawrence Welk shows on television.
They remember their childhood during the First World War.
They went through the Great Depression. They have known good times and lean times. After 75 years, they don’t need to talk a lot. They each know what the other is thinking.
And she believes a long, happy marriage depends on how good you are to each other. “You have to be good to each other,” she insists.
Reach Hagerty
mhagerty@gra.midco.net
© 2008 Forum Communications Co.
October 12, 2008
USA: Many reach silver and gold; Few reach 75th anniversary
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FARGO, North Dakota (Grand Forks Herald), October 12, 2008
By Marilyn Hagerty
Never go to bed until you kiss goodnight, whether you are mad at each other or not.
That’s the advice of Ruby Crosby, Cavalier, N.D., who with her husband, John, will be celebrating 75 years of marriage October 25. She said, “We always kiss goodnight.”
They had big celebrations on their golden wedding anniversary and again when they had been married 65 years. This year, they are more comfortable in the quiet of their home. On Sundays, they watch their favorite church service on television.
There was a time when Ruby and Johnny went every Sunday to First United Methodist Church in Cavalier. But as the years rolled by, the concrete steps seemed to grow too steep for them. They used to eat and play cards at the senior center, too, when it was easier to get out.
Ruby was 94 on August 13. Johnny was 96 on October 8.
They were 17 and 19 when they were married by Judge Carson at the courthouse October 25, 1933. When John’s mother died, they moved in with his dad, William Crosby, to a farm north of Cavalier. The nearby school is named after William Crosby, who was clerk of the school board.
The Crosbys had one son, Donald, who died in 1985. They have grandchildren and great-grandchildren who come occasionally for visits.
They moved back into Cavalier 10 years ago. And that is where they met in the first place, when John would come into town to play pool.
Ruby was one of 10 sisters and had four brothers when she was growing up in Cavalier. Her family had come to North Dakota from Saskatchewan. John had a twin brother who died long ago.
John is tall, and Ruby is short. She blames that on being hit once by a Model T Ford.
But she could dance, and she enjoyed dancing with John. She doesn’t mind saying, even now, that she didn’t like it very well when he would go out with her sister, Eva.
And, to this day, John insists he just wanted to be sure he got “the right one.”
He and Ruby went to dances almost every week, and she remembers how they would dance polkas, waltzes and even the butterfly and the fox trot.
The Crosbys are warm, friendly people.
She uses a walker to get around the house. He wears a support for his back. He helps her with the cooking because she can’t stand for very long. She washes the dishes, and he dries them. She reads the Grand Forks Herald and the Cavalier Chronicle to John. He watches “Wheel of Fortune” and Lawrence Welk shows on television.
They remember their childhood during the First World War.
They went through the Great Depression. They have known good times and lean times. After 75 years, they don’t need to talk a lot. They each know what the other is thinking.
And she believes a long, happy marriage depends on how good you are to each other. “You have to be good to each other,” she insists.
Reach Hagerty
mhagerty@gra.midco.net
© 2008 Forum Communications Co.
Never go to bed until you kiss goodnight, whether you are mad at each other or not.
That’s the advice of Ruby Crosby, Cavalier, N.D., who with her husband, John, will be celebrating 75 years of marriage October 25. She said, “We always kiss goodnight.”
They had big celebrations on their golden wedding anniversary and again when they had been married 65 years. This year, they are more comfortable in the quiet of their home. On Sundays, they watch their favorite church service on television.
There was a time when Ruby and Johnny went every Sunday to First United Methodist Church in Cavalier. But as the years rolled by, the concrete steps seemed to grow too steep for them. They used to eat and play cards at the senior center, too, when it was easier to get out.
Ruby was 94 on August 13. Johnny was 96 on October 8.
They were 17 and 19 when they were married by Judge Carson at the courthouse October 25, 1933. When John’s mother died, they moved in with his dad, William Crosby, to a farm north of Cavalier. The nearby school is named after William Crosby, who was clerk of the school board.
The Crosbys had one son, Donald, who died in 1985. They have grandchildren and great-grandchildren who come occasionally for visits.
They moved back into Cavalier 10 years ago. And that is where they met in the first place, when John would come into town to play pool.
Ruby was one of 10 sisters and had four brothers when she was growing up in Cavalier. Her family had come to North Dakota from Saskatchewan. John had a twin brother who died long ago.
John is tall, and Ruby is short. She blames that on being hit once by a Model T Ford.
But she could dance, and she enjoyed dancing with John. She doesn’t mind saying, even now, that she didn’t like it very well when he would go out with her sister, Eva.
And, to this day, John insists he just wanted to be sure he got “the right one.”
He and Ruby went to dances almost every week, and she remembers how they would dance polkas, waltzes and even the butterfly and the fox trot.
The Crosbys are warm, friendly people.
She uses a walker to get around the house. He wears a support for his back. He helps her with the cooking because she can’t stand for very long. She washes the dishes, and he dries them. She reads the Grand Forks Herald and the Cavalier Chronicle to John. He watches “Wheel of Fortune” and Lawrence Welk shows on television.
They remember their childhood during the First World War.
They went through the Great Depression. They have known good times and lean times. After 75 years, they don’t need to talk a lot. They each know what the other is thinking.
And she believes a long, happy marriage depends on how good you are to each other. “You have to be good to each other,” she insists.
Reach Hagerty
mhagerty@gra.midco.net
© 2008 Forum Communications Co.
