Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Article #286 Courtship and Marriage Stories


        Linda Lees of St. George shares this fun story of how her parents met: Dad used to say, "You need to know what you want––then go get it!"  This is just what my Dad did when starting to court my Mother. Saturday night dances in Shelly, Idaho were the highlight of the week for the youth in the area.  Dad usually played in the live band which furnished the music for the evening.  Several Saturday nights went by as he observed a "cute little thing" come to the dances.  (Sometimes she even came with his buddies).
     "Enough is enough", said Dad.  One Saturday night when Mother's date left her seated at a table to go get her refreshments, Dad made his move.  He sauntered up to that table, introduced himself, engaged in small talk and even held her hand.  Little did Mother know that he was moving the hands on her wristwatch ahead.  When her date returned, Dad watched with glee as they checked the time and then dashed out the door.  Obviously Mother and her date thought her parents curfew was soon to be compromised.  (And her father would not tolerate that.)
     Surprise, surprise when later that same evening my Dad showed up at her home on horseback.  A walk in the moonlight, a bit more hand holding, and as the saying goes, "the rest is history."  Oh, and Dad didn't play with the band much anymore.  He was on the dance floor snuggling with that "cute little thing." My Mother (Nelda Jolley Jensen) is still living in Ammon , Idaho at 97 years young. My Dad (Virgil Phillip Jensen) left mother on the dance floor 5 years ago.  He is waiting for her curfew.
            Dances were the place to meet during summer weekends when youth from small rural communities would gather to socialize at outdoor dances. That’s how my parents and maternal grandparents met. Lin Floyd’s Grandma Johnson recalled that she was with her fiancé when she met Grandpa William at a dance. He monopolized her time, then came to visit her the next evening when her fiancé was there. It didn’t take long for Grandma to decide she was in love with this new suitor. They were married, had five children together before Grandpa died of stomach cancer at 36 years of age, leaving Grandma a widow at age 30. Tell us about your parents or grandparents romance and marriage. NEXT TIME: Family Memories. 



1 comment:

  1. What a lovely story! He was a determined man:)) I love stories about family and how people met. I guess I am a romantic at heart. So how is the boat coming? I better check out that blog next.

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