THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUly 28, 2023 Page 13 Three Centuries of Marriage Six couples celebrate their Golden Anniversary together at a Saugus pool party By Mark E. Vogler W hen a couple achieves 50 years of marriage, a summertime pool party is a great way to celebrate their Golden Anniversary. But the pool party that Gordy and Deb Shepard hosted at their Waban Street home last Sunday (July 23) was extra special – and not just a celebration for their own half century of marital bliss. They invited five other couples – all of them close friends for years – who had the same reason to celebrate. The friends came up with the idea of celebrating three centuries of marriage while relaxing one day at the Saugus VFW, Deb Shepard recalled. “How many couples can say they’ve been married 50 years? So, we said, ‘Let’s have a day,’” Deb recalled. And so they shared their special day together – just the 12 of them. They all came with their swimsuits and dusted off those old wedding albums, which showed that long hair and bell-bottom pants were definitely fashionable back in the early 70s. They had a special anniversary cake for Sunday, with the inscription in red frosting that proclaimed “Happy 50th Anniversary to us!” There was a banner that toasted the couples: “Cheers to 50 Years.” Popular 1960s music played near the pool. The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five were the favorite groups of the couples back in the day. Toward the end of the party, they reminisced about the good old days by looking back at the old photos in each other’s wedding albums. So what does it take for a couple to enjoy a Golden Anniversary? If you are blessed with good health and able to enjoy 50 years together, what’s the secret to sustaining such marital success to make it worth celebrating? We put those questions to each of the couples, and here’s what they had to say: Gordy and Deb Shepard got married on June 23, 1973. They raised two boys and have one grandchild. They are lifelong Saugus residents and both graduated from Saugus High School – Gordy in 1965 and Deb in 1969. “We’re husband and wife, but also best friends,” Deb said, crediting the major reason why their marriage continues to thrive after a half century. “She makes me laugh constantly, and it’s been that way Steps to stable marriages (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Jim and Kathleen Cronin and Jim and Debbie Guidi (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Rob and Rosa Follis and Gordy and Deb Shepard (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) A special cake for the Golden Anniversary shared by six couples (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) from the day I first met her,” Gordy said. Rob and Rosa Follis got married on April 28, 1973. They decided to buy a house in Saugus and have lived in town ever since. Rosa is originally from Chelsea. Rob grew up in Everett. They raised three boys and have seven grandchildren. What do they credit for their longevity? “Lots of love, baby! Lots of love,” Rob said. “We’re best of friends and we never fight,” Rosa added. Bernie and Patty Doherty are actually two years away from their Golden Anniversary, but they decided to celebrate the special marriage milestone two years early. They were married on Aug. 24, 1975, and have lived in Saugus since 1979. Bernie grew up in Saugus and graduated from Saugus High School (1965) with Gordy. “Having a sense of humor, friendship and raising a family has kept us together this long,” Patty said. They raised two girls and a boy and have five grandchildren. Paul and Karen Carney got married on May 12, 1973. They owned a house in Saugus for 40 years and live in Middleton now. They both attended Chelsea High School. They raised two daughters, both who graduated from Saugus High School. They have seven grandchildren, a great-grandson and another great-grandson on the way. “Every night, we tell each other ‘I love you.’ We do the same thing every morning,” Paul said. Karen, who wore her wedding veil to the pool party on Sunday, noted, “We both kiss each other and love each other.” Paul and Karen Carney and Bernie and Patty Doherty (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Jim and Debbie Guidi got married on Sept. 9, 1972. They raised two daughters and have two grandchildren. They are Lynn residents. “I do whatever she tells me and I agree with her 100 percent,” Jim said, referring to the couple’s marital success. Jim and Kathleen Cronin got married on May 27, 1973. They raised two boys and have three grandchildren. They have lived in Saugus for 32 years. They are originally from Chelsea. “I sat behind her in the first grade,” Jim recalled. “She had red hair then, just like now.” “We are very best friends,” Kathleen said. “I do the laundry and the shopping and I fold the clothes – better than her,” Jim said. Later, the six couples took turns doing a processional walk down the aisle poolside and hoisted their champagne glasses to toast 300 years of marital bliss. Then they cut the anniversary cake.
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