‘Through thick and thin’: A few rock bands, an Expo ‘74 honeymoon and 50 years later, this Deer Park couple still together

In 1973, North Central High School grad Jim McGirk was living the rock ’n’ roll dream in California.

The bassist had previously played with Spiral Starecase, known for their 1969 hit “More Today than Yesterday,” and was a member of Jerry Tawney and Posse.

That group had just released “Don’t Take Away the Music,” – a single written by Paul Williams, and the Los Angeles-based band took to the road to promote it.

On a hot August night, he scanned the room at a nightclub near Modesto, Calif., and that’s when he saw her.

“She was magnificent!” he said. “She had this aura – her black hair was in ringlets, a style called ‘The Lioness,’ and I thought, ‘Wow!’ ”

The woman who wowed him, Connie Soares, 19, didn’t particularly notice the bassist.

“I was there with my sister and a friend,” she recalled.

When the band took a break, Jim made a beeline for her table and bought her a drink. After chatting a bit, he invited her to an after-party, and she agreed.

“He was so polite,” Connie said. “It turned out the ‘party’ was just the two of us.”

She enjoyed his company so much that the next day, she called the nightclub and invited Jim to spend the day with her at a nearby lake.

He and the band were returning to Los Angeles that evening, and he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the dark-haired beauty behind.

“I proposed right there on the beach,” Jim said. “And I asked her to move to L.A.”

In the dining room of their Deer Park home, Connie smiled.

“I’m not sure I said yes,” she said.

“You did!” Jim replied.

He looked across the table at her.

“I was madly in love with this woman the minute I saw her.”

Back in L.A., he bought a wedding ring and flew back to give it to her the following weekend.

It was her 20th birthday.

Then they broke the news to her parents. Her mom’s response?

“Oh, no! Not a musician!”

After knowing each other for just a few weeks, Connie moved to L.A. Six months later, on June 24, 1974, they married in Reno, Nevada.

When he worked up the courage to tell his folks of his impending nuptials, they said they’d skip the wedding, and instead, they’d fly the newlyweds to Spokane for their honeymoon.

“Expo ‘74 had just opened,” said Jim.

They still have their ticket stubs and memorabilia from their honeymoon at the World’s Fair.

Connie hadn’t visited the Inland Northwest before and was quickly enamored.

“What’s not to love?” she asked.

They returned to L.A., where Jim played with several bands.

“It’s hard to keep a band together – the egos!” he said. “I was getting sick to death of the music business – so many temptations that weren’t conducive to married life.”

He told his wife the next time a band broke up, they were getting out of L.A.

It didn’t take long. They moved to Spokane in 1975, and Jim began working at Crystal Linen Supply. They settled first in Mead and later in Deer Park, and welcomed two daughters: Erin in 1978 and Kelly in 1982.

From Crystal Linen, Jim moved on to Providence Sacred Heart where he was the director of laundry services for Eastern Washington. He finished his career with U.S. Linen and Uniform.

Although he has several bass guitars at home, he doesn’t miss the music biz, largely because of the happiness he’s found with Connie.

“She’s stood by me through thick and thin,” he said. “No matter how bad things got, I knew she’d be with me. It’s amazing to have that kind of support.”

Connie attributes their successful marriage to friendship.

“You have to be best friends,” she said. “We share everything. We’ve never argued about money.”

She appreciates Jim’s patience.

“I’ve never known a guy so patient!”

They love the life they’ve built and delight in their four grandkids.

“For a couple of hippies with egg crate furniture, we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of stuff,” he said.

When asked what he’s most looking forward to after 50 years of marriage, Jim didn’t hesitate.

“Fifty more,” he said.

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.