Longtime husband and wife Ed and Sally Wagner discovered something unexpected as they got ready to celebrate what they believed was their 75th wedding anniversary.
The Greensburg, Pennsylvania, couple had told family and friends they’d reach the milestone on Monday, Feb. 9. But a recent records search by their son-in-law, Mark Aitken, turned up their marriage certificate — and it showed they were married in 1952, not 1951. That means they’re still a year away from 75 years together.
“When you’re married this long, who cares?” Sally, 92, joked.
Ed, 95, and Sally said they first met as high school students in East Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. They married on an unseasonably warm winter day on Feb. 9, 1952, at the First Presbyterian Church of Winchester in Virginia.
Their decision was shaped by both love and practicality. Ed had been drafted into the Army and was set to leave nine months later to serve in the Korean War.
“I told her, ‘We might as well get married,’” Ed recalled. “‘That way, you’ll be getting the money from the service if anything happens to me.’”
While Ed was overseas, Sally lived with her parents and tried to stay busy. She worked at a local sewing factory, spent time with friends, and attended church on Sundays. She also wrote Ed weekly letters, sometimes sending small treats along with them.
“I had three brothers and a husband in the service all at one time, and that was worrisome,” she said.
Ed served until the war ended in July 1953. After he returned, the couple settled in Greensburg and began raising a family. Their first child, Charles, was born in 1955, followed by daughter Kathy in 1957 and son Edward in 1961.
Today, they’re enjoying life together with frequent visits from their nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They still attend church, enjoy going out to eat, and are well known in their neighborhood for sitting outside on summer days.
Asked what makes a marriage last, Ed didn’t hesitate to point to Sally. “I don’t know what I would have done without her,” he said.
“We’re both here for each other,” Sally added. “And the love is still here.”
