In 1963, the average price of a new house in the U.S. was less than $13,000, The Beatles released their first album, and Becky Peroshek married Sam Parker.
60 years later, houses are exponentially more expensive, and The Beatles have long since come and gone.
But Becky and Sam are still together, working through the better and the worse of what life throws at you. Their family and friends filled the Macomb Arts Center this month to celebrate the Parkers’ 60th anniversary.
Becky stood at the arts center’s front door as the event got going, greeting every single person as they arrived. Sam, meanwhile, sat at a table near the back of the room with friends.
But both say there’s nothing wrong with approaching things differently. They say you don’t have to do every single thing together every single day.
Sam: “As an artist, I go to my studio, I have my work. And she has hers. So we have our outside interests.”
Becky: “I think respecting each other’s own space is really important, because then when you come together, you share that. But the autonomy is really, strangely, a very important part of being a couple.”
She said it’s important to accept that you will have differences.
That is not necessarily what Becky and Sam thought 60 years ago.
Both were from small towns in Wisconsin. They met at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Becky was 23, Sam was 27 when they got married.
As Becky explained to the crowd at the anniversary party, the two believed they were a perfect match.
“We had the same values. The same interests. We agreed on everything in terms of politics, religion, whatever there is going out there. So why not get married?” she said to laughter from the crowd.
They tied the knot, and moved to Madison, Wisconsin. Becky told the crowd her thinking soon changed.
“All of sudden, after a few months, I thought, we are not at all alike,” she said to more laughter.
“I couldn’t believe this! And it didn’t take long. Does that surprise anybody?”
A bit later they came to Macomb. Each taught at Western Illinois University for some 30 years -- Sam in the art department and Becky in communication.
“So, we had that in common,” said Becky. “And at the beginning we had a lot of university friends. With retirement, it’s expanded to a lot of different friends, which is nice. It’s what’s beautiful about Macomb – you have opportunities to meet people from all walks of life.”
The Parkers intended to stay in Macomb for just a few years, but they found it so beautiful that they stayed and raised their son Aaron and daughter Rachel in Macomb.
“There are always opportunities to meet more people, to do more things. The beauty of a town this size is you can expand your family through friends,” Becky said.
Both Aaron and Rachel have moved elsewhere, but their parents are happy to be retired in Macomb. Sam continues to create art today, and Becky is heavily involved with the public library’s friends group.
They also play bridge -- sometimes together, sometimes with different groups. And they know many other couples who’ve been married at least 50 years.
Becky: “We know a lot of old married people.”
Sam: “I guess you could say that we know a lot of old people.”
One longtime friend is Fred Jones. Fred and his wife Nancy came to Macomb from Chester, England. He was hired to teach art at Western.
Fred said they knew nothing about Macomb and came to town with no place to live.
“Sam was on the committee that hired me. He said to come over. Sam and Becky said, ‘We’re gone for two weeks. Take our house.’ That would never happen in England,” Fred Jones said.
Now the couples have known each other for more than 50 years. Fred said the Parkers are good people who are well-known and respected throughout the community.
Sam and Becky were attracted to one another by what they had in common. Becky said they learned later to appreciate the different qualities they brought to the marriage.
“Our differences have made us richer as a couple,” Becky said.
Her advice for young couples: “Do not get uptight about little things. It’s the big picture that counts.”
A lot has changed in the world in the past 60 years. But the love and affection Becky and Sam Parker have for one another has remained a constant.
The hundreds of people who celebrated the anniversary with the Parkers couldn’t be happier for them. They gave the couple a rousing ovation when Becky concluded her remarks about their many years together.
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