Ed and Sally Wagner thought their 75th wedding anniversary was approaching — but they were wrong
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NEED TO KNOW
- Ed Wagner, 95, and Sally Wagner, 92, were preparing to celebrate their 75th anniversary on Monday, Feb. 9
- Then, their son-in-law uncovered their marriage certificate during an Ancestry.com records search
- The certificate revealed a surprising fact about their lengthy marriage
Longtime husband and wife Ed and Sally Wagner found out something rather unexpected as they prepared to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary.
The Greensburg, Pa., couple told their loved ones that they would be reaching the significant marriage milestone on Monday, Feb. 9 — only to learn they haven't actually been married for 75 years, per The Tribune-Review. Their son-in-law, Mark Aitken, recently did an Ancestry.com records search for the family and uncovered a copy of Ed and Sally's marriage certificate.
As it turned out, they actually wed in 1952, not 1951, meaning they are still one year shy of their 75th anniversary. “When you’re married this long, who cares?” Sally, 92, joked of the error.
She and Ed, 95, went on to share their memories of their wedding day more than seven decades ago. The couple, who first met as high school students in East Huntingdon, Pa., said they tied the knot on an "unseasonably warm winter day" on Feb. 9, 1952, at the First Presbyterian Church of Winchester in Virginia, per The Tribune-Review.
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Their wedding was motivated by both love and practicality. Ed had been drafted into the Army and would leave just nine months after the pair's wedding to serve in the Korean War. “I told her, ‘We might as well get married,’ ” Ed recalled. “ ‘That way, you’ll be getting the money from the service if anything happens to me.’ "
Sally lived with her parents while Ed was away serving in the conflict.
“I had three brothers and a husband in the service all at one time, and that was worrisome," she remembered.
She kept busy with a job at a local sewing factory, outings with friends and Sunday church services. She also wrote weekly letters to send to Ed, sometimes accompanied by snacks and bottles of wine.
Ed served until the war ended in July 1953, and then he and Sally, who eventually settled in Greensburg, started a family. Their first child, son Charles, was born in 1955, followed by daughter Kathy in 1957 and son Edward in 1961.
Now, they are enjoying their golden years together, with visits from their nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They attend church and enjoy eating out together.
Ed and Sally are also known in their neighborhood because of their love of spending time sitting outside on summer days, per The Tribune-Review.
Asked to share his secret to a long and happy marriage, Ed praised Sally, saying, “I don’t know what I would have done without her."
“We’re both here for each other,” she chimed. “And the love is still here.”
Read the full article here
