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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Love story: Lamers were love at first sight

Retired dentist Gerald Lamers met his wife, Maxine, at the USO club in Spokane in February 1943. They married on May 19, 1943. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

Asking a girl you’re interested in to get your current girlfriend’s necklace repaired may not be the smoothest way to make a connection, but it worked for Gerold “Gerry” Lamers.

Seventy-two years ago he spotted a pretty girl with natural curls at a USO dance in Spokane.

Gerry, originally from Wisconsin, was a sailor stationed at Farragut.

“I was interested in the Navy because every Saturday the Navy boys from Chicago would come to Milwaukee and get free beer,” he said. “There was a war on, so I signed up and they sent me clear out of this world to Farragut, Idaho!”

When he saw Maxine Anderson walk through the door that night, he knew he had to meet her.

“I was already engaged to someone, but I went to the dance with a girlfriend to keep her company,” Maxine said.

Gerry waved her over to the pool table and struck up a conversation. That’s when he asked her if she knew where he could get his girlfriend’s necklace fixed.

“I think he wanted to see me again,” said Maxine.

Indeed, he did.

She had his girlfriend’s necklace fixed and Gerry picked it up from her at the downtown office where she worked. Then he asked her out to lunch.

Maxine smiled at him in their South Hill apartment. “I guess we really liked each other.”

So much so that Gerry broke up with his girlfriend and Maxine placed a call to her fiancé.

“That was very difficult,” she admitted. “I thought a lot of him, but I fell in love with that sailor. It didn’t take long.”

When they found out that Gerry was going to be sent to San Diego and then overseas, they were determined to be together as long as they could.

They were married at the rectory office at Our Lady of Lourdes on May 19, 1943 – three months after they met.

Gerry was 20, Maxine 21.

“She’s four months older and she never lets me forget it,” he said, laughing.

Maxine joined him in San Diego in June. “That was our honeymoon,” she said.

In 1944, Gerry shipped out for Okinawa, leaving his pregnant wife behind. Their daughter Judy was born in June 1945. Maxine said, “He didn’t see her until she was 6 months old.”

Gerry was a corpsman. He tried to tell the Navy that he fainted at the sight of blood. They brushed off his concerns and he ended up be thankful.

“It was a very satisfying job,” he said. “I felt like I was doing my part, while also helping people.”

Those sentiments aside, he soon grew heartily sick of war.

“I was tired of the whole thing,” he said. “We were always under fire. I thought Why don’t they just drop a bomb and end this thing?”

He got his wish.

“I was on the ground in Japan when they dropped the bomb,” he said. “I felt the ground shake.”

All he could think of was his wife and daughter waiting for him at home.

Maxine had returned to Spokane after he shipped out. Her parents doted on their granddaughter and cared for her while Maxine worked.

Gerry finally met his daughter in December 1945. A grin splits his face at the memory. “She thought I was the greatest guy in the world.”

His experience as a corpsman led him to pursue a career in the medical field. He attended Gonzaga University for pre-med, then transferred to the University of Washington to study dentistry.

The adoption of a son, Frank, in 1953 completed their family.

After finishing his studies, they returned to Spokane where Gerry practiced general dentistry for 37 years in the medical center building across from Providence Sacred Heart Hospital.

Maxine kept busy with the children and stayed active, joining a bowling league and playing Mahjong with a group of friends.

When Gerry retired they golfed and traveled extensively.

“We traveled the world,” he said. “Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe … ”

They credit their active lifestyle for their longevity. They attend exercise classes three days a week in their retirement community.

“We finally gave up golf in our 90s,” said Maxine, 94.

While they spend a great deal of time together, they also enjoy time apart. Maxine plays Mahjong twice a month and Gerry, 93, goes out to coffee with a friend twice a week.

“You just need that little break every once in awhile,” Maxine said, smiling.

Gerry agreed but added, “I just want her around.”

And after all these years the memory of the night they met is still fresh in his mind.

“When I saw her I thought, That’s my girl! It was love at first sight.