Marriage secrets from long-wedded couples
NEWSDAY LINK
After more than 3,500 collective years of marriage, 70 couples were to renew their wedding vows Friday in a pre-Valentine's Day event in Port Washington.
'You make it this far in life, it's an accomplishment,' said Edward Galise. He and wife Ada will be married for 54 years this May.
'Basically, we strive to stay calm,' said Galise, 78. 'If we have some sort of discussion or arguments, one of us has to give in.'
That person, he joked, is often him.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town Clerk Leslie Gross were to act as officiants during the ceremony at Harbor Links Golf Course.
Each couple has been married for at least 50 years.
Edward Galise said he met his future wife when she answered an ad to work at the plate glass company where he was employed. He answered the door and told the boss to hire her. 'She caught my eye,' he said.
Ada Galise, who was from Puerto Rico and in Manhattan for the summer, turned down his requests for dates.
'I gave him a hard time,' said Ada Galise, 76.
Eventually, she relented and the two dated. Edward joined the Army and went to Korea. While there, he served with a few people who knew his beloved, and they taught him the perfect words to make his love letters sing.
They married two years after he got out of the service.
Understanding, fairness and compromise had a lot to do with their success and that of others, the couples said.
'The secret of marriage is to be patient and be happy and enjoy your friends and family,' said Patricia Condon, 74, of New Hyde Park.
She and husband Michael lived in the same Brooklyn neighborhood and went to the same grammar school, but didn't meet until later in life at a church dance. The couple, who has been married 53 years, have four sons, two daughters and 17 grandchildren.
'We made it with respect for each other and our faith, family and children,' Patricia Condon said.
Her husband described their wedded longevity as this: 'A miracle.'
After more than 3,500 collective years of marriage, 70 couples were to renew their wedding vows Friday in a pre-Valentine's Day event in Port Washington.
'You make it this far in life, it's an accomplishment,' said Edward Galise. He and wife Ada will be married for 54 years this May.
'Basically, we strive to stay calm,' said Galise, 78. 'If we have some sort of discussion or arguments, one of us has to give in.'
That person, he joked, is often him.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town Clerk Leslie Gross were to act as officiants during the ceremony at Harbor Links Golf Course.
Each couple has been married for at least 50 years.
Edward Galise said he met his future wife when she answered an ad to work at the plate glass company where he was employed. He answered the door and told the boss to hire her. 'She caught my eye,' he said.
Ada Galise, who was from Puerto Rico and in Manhattan for the summer, turned down his requests for dates.
'I gave him a hard time,' said Ada Galise, 76.
Eventually, she relented and the two dated. Edward joined the Army and went to Korea. While there, he served with a few people who knew his beloved, and they taught him the perfect words to make his love letters sing.
They married two years after he got out of the service.
Understanding, fairness and compromise had a lot to do with their success and that of others, the couples said.
'The secret of marriage is to be patient and be happy and enjoy your friends and family,' said Patricia Condon, 74, of New Hyde Park.
She and husband Michael lived in the same Brooklyn neighborhood and went to the same grammar school, but didn't meet until later in life at a church dance. The couple, who has been married 53 years, have four sons, two daughters and 17 grandchildren.
'We made it with respect for each other and our faith, family and children,' Patricia Condon said.
Her husband described their wedded longevity as this: 'A miracle.'
