On June 11, 1960, Mel Roustio and Gerry Bischof exchanged wedding vows at Grand Marias State Park in East St. Louis, Illinois. Today that site is called Frank Holten State Park. The exact location of the wedding and reception was the Boathouse dinning room. The ceremony was officiated by a Justice Of the Peace. Why not a church wedding conducted by a minister or priest? This was our option to avoid the strain on the Catholic girl's family dealing with the unusual act of marrying out of the Church.
I met Gerry the summer of 1953. She was going into the 8th grade at Holy Angles Catholic School and I would be entering the 9th grade at Lansdowne Junior high school. That's right, our junior high was 7-8-9 while East Side High was 10-11-12. Gerry and I shared one of those party Post Office kisses at Lois Siegel's house. (I must thank Lois this October at the East Side's Class of 1957's 60th Reunion.) Gerry and I dated seven years throughout high school and my first three college years before marrying fifty-seven years ago. Adding the 7-courtship years and 57-married years it totals 64.
I'll stop here and simply say...God has blessed us with a long-rich history.
(Touch)
Once Upon a Time
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