This week, I was talking with my 93-year-old aunt, Jan. Her memory for dates and events in the past is better than mine. She told me of the story of how she met and married my uncle, Al.
She started the conversation with the statement:
Al and I were married 70 years this May 29th. I had him for 61 wonderful years.”
She proceeded to relate how they met.
I was a coed at Michigan Normal College in the early 1950s. Several of my friends and I went to dinner at a favorite restaurant in Ypsilanti. As we ate and chatted, we attracted the attention of a table of young men. One of them, Al, finally came over to introduce himself.
At first, Al was interested in my roommate. But she already had a boyfriend. He turned his attention to me. At the end of the dinner, Al offered to drive me back to my dorm. We enjoyed talking and started to date. My mother tried to discourage our budding relationship by transferring me to another college in Virginia. The courses were more difficult. At the end of the year, I told my mother,
“I am not going to return.”
She was upset, and I didn’t help when I resumed my relationship dating Al.
We were married in 1956.
I heard Jan sigh and continue with how much she still missed him.
My last memory of Uncle Al was at my brother Brian’s Fourth of July party. Aunt Jan drove them both to Northville from Royal Oak, 22 miles apart. What I remember most was that on a warm summer day, Al was dressed in a wool suit coat and dress pants. He smiled, nodding but never said a word. Jan held up the conversation for both of them.
Their marriage is a testament to the long commitment to each other. Like many couples, they had their ups and downs. Billy, the youngest son, died in his 40s, and Jan’s caring for Al after a stroke. They were committed to each other.
Jan was able to balance home with a sales position at Winkleman’s until it closed in March 1998.
Winkleman’s
Started as a Detroit-based department store in 1928.
Known for personal service and stylish women’s apparel,
At its height of popularity, it encompassed over 100 Midwest stores.
After starting bankruptcy proceedings in 1995, they closed in 1998.
Loyal customers bought 15 million in inventory.
Most stores liquidated the merchandise with “going out of business sales.”
Ending 70 years of serving the Detroit community.
carolaspot@aol.com copyrighted 5/25/26
traveling up and down the blind highway 