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Valentinesforever_ rArmstrong Township couple say 70th anniversary just slipped up on themBy CHAUNCEY ROSSGazette Staff WriterWhat a sneaky thing a 70th wedding anniversary is.Not that it is elusive. It’s a day on the calendar, and, as Edgar and Wilda Miller of Armstrong Township will on Tuesday, any couple able to wait it out will reach theirs. But it seems to arrive sooner for those who don’t dwell, on it.It slips up on you'/’ Edgar Miller said.“Other people seem more excited about it than vve do/’ Wilda said. The Millers' friends and relatives will toast their anniversary at a gathering Sunday,If they’d had their way, the Millers would reach the milestone today. But because Edgar had to work on Valentine's Day in 1932, they put off their wedding until Feb. .19.From then on, the landmark anniversaries simply came and went without being anticipated.“When we were young, we thought 50 was an old age! So we never even thought about being married for 50 years,1' Wilda said.The Millers’ formula for longevity seems to be to stay active, stay humble, keep a sense of humor and stick with the good things in life: ■ Like their century-old house.The Millers have lived in the same wooden home next to a railroad crossing along Route 422 in Armstrong Township for 58 years. Over that time, they’ve added running water, electricity, a couple of rooms and modern furnaces.P Like their cars. The Millers faithfully bought one Chrysler after another for decades, even though Wilda's father, Harvey Fennell, was one of the Indiana area's first Pontiac dealers. They still have a Chrysler — a 'talking car” that gives spoken prompts to fasten seat belts or check for open doors — parked in the garage.• Like the player piano in their dining room. They paid $80 for it 65 years ago, according to Wilda. Now, it rarely gets a workout playing ragtime tunes and serves more as a display stand for countless knickknacks and photos of their 14 grandchildren and 14 great- grand children.The Millers say their life together started fast and just hasn't let up.They dated for a year and a half. Then, on a snowy Friday during the Great Depression, they got their marriage, license at the courthouse in Indiana and headed right back to the Presbyterian church in She-locta to exchange vows.I’hey didn’t require a blood test and waiting period back then,” Edgar said.Their son, Donald, arrived later in 1932. A daughter, Sandra, was bom in 1941. Their third child, Twila, was born in 1949. So for more than 25 years the Millers had an infant or elementary-school-age child in the house.“Through their schooling, it kept us young/' Wilda said. “We always knew what was going on. We never felt old. .............. .....Friday nights, the Millers went square dancing at Meadowbrook or Continued on page 14Wilda and Edgar Miller missed getting married on Valentine's Day in 1932, because Edgar had to work. They got married five days later instead(Gazette photo by Jamie Isenberg)
Newspaper Details
Indiana Gazette
Indiana, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Feb 14, 2002
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Allen F.
PA, USA 17 May 2020
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