Huckleberries Online

Brotherly Loves Lasting

Posted by DFO

Dec. 5, 2009 6:25 a.m. • 22 comments

Lasting marriages run in the Fels family. In November, Gene and Evelyn “Evie” Fels celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Gene’s brother Wilbert “Joe” Fels and his wife, Nora, celebrated their 64th anniversary in May. A festive feeling permeated Gene and Evie’s Spokane Valley home when the two couples met to discuss their enduring relationships. “We have a party going on!” Nora said. Indeed, the Felses have much to celebrate. Gene and Joe, both World War II veterans, grew up in a large family in the Chelan, Wash., area. Both men vividly recall the first time they met their brides/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. More here.

Question: By a rough calculation, my five siblings and myself have a combined total of roughly 165 years of marriage among us — three of us with 34 years of marriage or more. Dad and Mom were married 32 years until death parted them. Do you have a history of long marriages in your family?

22 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Don_Sausser on December 05 at 8:02 a.m.
Yes, my mother and father, married to each other for 71 years only interupted by his death at 101 yrs.
Cindy_H on December 05 at 7:04 p.m.
Parents: 43 years
Oldest Brother: 38 years
Middle Brother: 36 years
Sister: 25 years
Me: 23 years

That’s 165 years and counting all with our original spouses, so yeah, I’d say long marriages run in our family.
I hope my sons are as blessed.
mia on December 05 at 11:06 p.m.
Nice, Cindy! Mike and I are 31 years and counting!
cpalisa on December 05 at 11:33 p.m.
Well my Mom is very proud of the fact that she was married for 55 years…the problem is that it was 4 different marriages! Her children have fared better with my older brothers at 42, 32 and 20 years and hubby and I are going on 16. His grandparents will celebrate their 72nd (!) this year and his parents are on 48, I think.
Bent on December 05 at 11:41 p.m.
My Dad= 3 marriages (final has lasted 30+ years)
My Mom= 4.5 marriages (currently single)
Wife’s parents = 50+ years of marriage
Me and my wife = 25 years in May
Phaedrus on December 05 at 11:41 p.m.
My family has a history of long marriages followed by divorce. One reason why I’ve never gotten married.
hmoffsuite on December 06 at 3:30 p.m.
>> ” I’ve never gotten married”

That’s understandable.
Phaedrus on December 06 at 4:12 p.m.
Hmoffsuite, nice. I dismantle your flawed and weakly constructed arguments on a political thread and you resort to a cheap personal shot; shall I give up on the truce and slice you to bits? I really won’t be difficult, you are a target rich environment. ;-)
hmoffsuite on December 06 at 4:21 p.m.
Phaedrus. Truce or not, why spend your energies just attacking me? Why not the subject of the thread? You seem to want to only criticize and put down other posters. Stick to the content, forget the personal stuff.
Phaedrus on December 06 at 4:47 p.m.
Topic of the thread:

“Do you have a history of long marriages in your family?”

My Response: (a direct answer to question asked)

“My family has a history of long marriages followed by divorce. One reason why I’ve never gotten married.”

hmoffsuite response (addressing not the topic of the thread, but MY response)
>> ” I’ve never gotten married”

That’s understandable.

More hmoffsuite:
“Stick to the content, forget the personal stuff.”

I’m almost speechless. But I do wonder if the terms hypocrisy and self awareness are missing from your dictionary?
hmoffsuite on December 06 at 4:57 p.m.
I made what I thought was a rather cute comment. I didn’t attack you in depth as you do me. I actually thought you might have had some sense of humor. My mistake.
Phaedrus on December 06 at 6:30 p.m.
“I made what I thought was a rather cute comment.”

1- your cute is another person’s cheap shot; I think all my comments about you are cute.

“I didn’t attack you in depth as you do me.”

2- I’m not surprised, nothing you write on this blog is in depth.

“I actually thought you might have had some sense of humor.”

3- I actually have a wickedly funny sense of humor (see comments 1 & 2), but, as you have failed to learn so far, tone is very difficult to express in short blog comments. people with a “history” on the blog usually see an elbow and not a smile.

But keep it up, I’ll oblige, if you insist.
;-)
hmoffsuite on December 06 at 6:38 p.m.
You know, Phaedrus. I recalled a term that reminded me of you on HBO. Perhaps you have heard it before. Blog troll.

2.(n) -A depraved individual who sits in front of a computer all day and posts flames of an idiotic or pseudo-intellectual nature on public forums and private websites. Many of these people actually become emotional about what is said on the afore-said mediums and feel it is their duty to punish those who disagree with them. They too may pursue this object in an obsessive-compulsive manner.
Cindy_H on December 07 at 8:52 a.m.
@hmo and Phaedrus: Leave it to you guys to derail a thead titled “Brotherly Love.”

Oh, the irony!
hmoffsuite on December 07 at 8:59 a.m.
I agree Cindy. Not a good thing. I won’t play the silly game with Phaedrus anymore and if he wants to continue his attacks, I will adios. I don’t like it anymore than you. It is not healthy for HBO.
nic on December 07 at 9:05 a.m.
Irony: a rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or discordance in intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. From the Greek word eironia, meaning hypocrisy, deception, or feigned ignorance.

Example: taking cheapshots at an individual, then calling your target a troll.
Phaedrus on December 07 at 9:15 a.m.
Just in keeping with the “brotherly” theme, notice that Hmoffsuite started it!

;-p
Cindy_H on December 07 at 9:18 a.m.
Somehow, I knew you’d point that out :-)
hmoffsuite on December 07 at 9:20 a.m.
This thread was a culmination of remarks taken from other threads. I apologize for my remarks. Remember the old Chinese proverb …

“beware of the monster. For he will consume you and you will become him”
DFO on December 07 at 9:26 a.m.
@ CindyH re: “@hmo and Phaedrus: Leave it to you guys to derail a thead titled “Brotherly Love.”

I’m beginning to agree that the sniping between Phaedrus & HMO isn’t healthy for HBO … at all. Both individuals have much to offer here. So I’ll continue to be lenient. Read: I’ll begin going to the delete button again when I see the exchanges getting personal … as a warning that the cooler beckons the one who continues the sniping. Boys, it’s time to put down arms and embrace what we have here, rather than continue your personal battle.
Cindy_H on December 07 at 9:32 a.m.
@DFO: Never had a cooler when my boys were little, but I did have a time-out bench. When the bickering drove me crazy I’d put the boys on the bench and make them HOLD HANDS, until they could speak nicely too each other.

Of course, they tried to cut off circulation to each others fingers, but the “hand holding” bench served its purpose.

Heh.
Phaedrus on December 07 at 10:31 p.m.
Boys, it’s time to put down arms and embrace what we have here, rather than continue your personal battle. —dfo

I tried, but it’s hard to hold a truce when only one side makes an effort. ;-)

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.