Marble Falls couples celebrate 70th anniversaries
Isadore ‘Izzy’ and Elna Wendler celebrate their 70th anniversary Aug. 13. After 70 years of marriage, the key, Elna says, is to remember those vows you shared during the wedding, and if you do, you’ll be able to get through anything as a couple.
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
MARBLE FALLS — Arnold Holden laughed a bit about the past 70 years he and his wife, Lucille, have spent together. Five home and three towns, he told the group who gathered at the Marble Falls Senior Activity Center on Aug. 9 to join the couple in celebrating their 70th anniversary.
He recounted forays into dirt-track racing but teared up a bit when he talked about his three daughters: Kaye, Sherry and Donna. Two years ago, Donna passed away.
But then, there were the grandchildren.
“We have 11,” Arnold Holden said, hesitated a bit and then looked up. Lucille, sitting off a bit, corrected him, “No, nine.”
He smiled, “Well, that’s enough.”
The Holdens got married Aug. 8, 1944, at Manchaca Baptist Church. And while it has been a life of good times and sometimes not so good times, they held onto each other. After seven decades, they still lean on each other.
“It doesn’t feel that long,” Arnold said of the 70 years. “We tried to please each other. We argued sometimes. She was generally right.”
“We always understood we were there for each other,” Lucille said.
At the same celebration, Isidor “Izzy” and Elna Wendler joined in honoring the Holdens. But they were also getting ready for a major milestone in their marriage. On Aug. 13, the couple also will celebrate their 70th anniversary.
As they stood off to the side, holding hands, they remembered meeting for the first time. Izzy recalled the exact time of the wedding.
“It was 5 p.m.,” he said with a grin.
Like the Holdens, the Wendlers pointed out that a marriage isn’t always easy and takes work — from both people. There’s no room for giving up on each other or the marriage.
Elna said the key is always remembering those words you spoke as a couple during the wedding ceremony. Despite their marriage taking place 70 years ago, the words they shared still reverberate in their lives.
“You have to recall the agreement you made when you got married,” Elna said. “If you remember what you said when you got married and work at that, that’s what you need to do.”
Across the room, Arnold Holden offered one more bit of advice.
“You just have to trust one another,” he said. “You have to remember that this is a marriage of two people, it’s not just about one of you. You can’t just keep everything for yourself. It’s about both of you.”
daniel@thepicayune.com