FIFTIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY


FRED AND CAROL STIRLING

December 8, 2012

Fred and I were married on a cold winter night in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 8, 1962. The setting was an LDS Stake Center in a small side room that opened up to a large gym. My father who had been an LDS official (President of the Salt Lake Deaf Branch) married us. I cried through the whole ceremony, I think because I was so touched by the significance of this life changing moment and in deed it was life changing. 

I practically ran up the aisle which was about 20 feet long. My mother’s cousin Earl only got a few bars out on the violin before I was standing next to Fred and ready to go. My Dad did a good job and I was proud to have him marry us.

Afterwards we had a reception in the gym. People from the deaf church and people from the Grant 3rd ward came as well as a few friends. Fred’s family arrived from Pocatello and a few of his friends from Pocatello also came. Some of the relatives from Cache Valley area came but not my Grandma Hind who was sick at the time. My grandma Allsop also was there. I remember Janet was only about 6 months old and she was a handful for mother during the evening. It was a nice evening.

Fred had left his car at his best man’s relative’s home thinking that if he left it there no one decorate it with Just Married stuff. Well guess what the kids whom we didn’t even know thought it would be fun to decorate our car and so they did.

We spent our first night together at a downtown motel and the next day we went to our apartment in Provo, UT where I was going to BYU the time. Fred was working at Hercules Powder Company as an inspector.

How did we meet? The story is a good one. I was going to University of Utah at the time. It was my second year of college. The first year was at BYU but I couldn’t go back due to finances so I was living at home. There were LDS dances at a place downtown called the Terrace where you had to have a slip signed by your bishop indicating you were LDS in order to get in. So my friends and I went one night and that’s where I met Fred. He asked me to dance and we danced a few dances and then he asked me if he could take me home. I declined and said I came with my friends. He then asked me if he could have my phone number and I gave it to him. He called after a few days and asked if he could take me out to a food drive-in. I said sure. That was our first date and then we dated pretty regular after that going to movies, out to eat, etc. At one of the first dates he whips out these coke-bottle glasses which I had never seen and said, “you wear glasses?” He casually said, “sometimes”. I’m thinking he’s practically blind and he’s been driving me around without his glasses…what a guy?

At the time I assumed he must be LDS but after a few dates he informed me that he wasn’t. I was a bit surprised but still continued dating him and then became hooked. We tried to break up a few times but we fell in love and decided that we should get married despite my parent’s reservations and my strong LDS background.

We started our married life in Provo for a few months and then moved to Salt Lake where Fred worked and I continued my schooling at U of U. After finishing school and getting a teaching job, we started our family. We were living in Granger (now West Valley) when Tyler was born and 18 months later Vince was born. Fred lost his job at Hercules so we moved to Pocatello for a new adventure. We lived in town for a few years where Brandon was born and then moved to our home of 35 years out on Michaud Flats just outside of Pocatello. After much contemplation, we decide to move to Boise for our retirement years.

I’m writing this story on our fiftieth anniversary. We are living in Boise, Idaho in a townhouse we love. We have 3 grown sons and have two daughter-in-laws and 6 grandchildren. Fred was primarily a farmer and along with being a mother, I worked in the early childhood field as a teacher and administrator. We are now retired and enjoying the fruits of our labor: our family and friends.

I’m looking at the people in our wedding line and thinking about where they are now. Fred’s mom and dad have passed away as well as my father. My mother is 91 and living in an assisted place in Taylorsville, UT. Fred’s best man and friend, Owen Ivy passed away shortly after we married from a blood clot. My friend, Bonnie (Oxborrow) Chirstensen is a widow living in West Jordan, Ut. My two college roommates, Marney (McGuire) Hudson is divorced living in Evanston, WY and Lynn (Mason) Corbett is a widow living in Cedar Hills, UT. Iris Hancey my first cousin and her husband Wendell, are living in Providence, UT. My first cousin Lynn (Allsop) Rothey and her husband Lon is living in Escondido, CA. Fred’s sister, Julie (Stirling) Carlson is living in Costa Rica. My flower girl and first cousin Jolene (Tingey) Welch lives with her husband Jeff in Sandy, UT and my brother Bill and his wife Cherri (the ring barer) lives in Riverton, UT.

Hard to believe it’s been 50 years but through good and not so easy times, we’ve been partners throughout. Our relationship and love gets stronger as the years go by.

Love,  Carol