In 1937, Joe Luecke called up a girl from high school to ask her if she wanted to come watch him play basketball. She said she couldn\u2019t because her mother was making her go to church. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy older sister said, \u2018Hey, I know a girl who was next to my locker, Violet Anderson, and she\u2019s pretty nice. Why don\u2019t you give her a call?\u2019\u201d Joe said. \u201cI asked, \u2018How do you know her?\u2019 and she said, \u2018Everybody knows Violet Anderson.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Violet agreed to the date and went down to Kankakee to see Joe play. Seventy-five years later, the two are still together. <\/p>\n
As the couple entered their 70th wedding anniversary party on Feb. 7 at the Carmelite Carefree Village in Darien, they were undoubtedly the talk of the room. At age 93, their happiness shone through, and they mirrored the roles of a President and First Lady in how they dressed and carried themselves. <\/p>\n
Growing up in the Chicagoland area, Joe and Violet dated for five years before getting married because during the Great Depression, no one could afford to. <\/p>\n
Joe worked 72 hours a week for 21 cents an hour. Six months later, Montgomery Ward opened, hiring him at 50 cents an hour. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, man, I\u2019m going to own the country,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In 1942, the two got married, and because money was so tight, they had to basically go on a double date with another couple for their honeymoon so they could save money on gas. <\/p>\n
Heading south, Joe and Violet realized they couldn\u2019t get a hotel because an Elks National Convention in town had all the rooms booked, but Joe\u2019s sister slipped the keys to her place in his pocket without him knowing. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe already knew it was going to be all booked down there but didn\u2019t tell him,\u201d said their son, Brad Luecke of Downers Grove. \u201cShe made him go from hotel to hotel to hotel to try and find a spot to go to, and you know, it\u2019s your honeymoon. ... Eventually they stayed at his sister\u2019s place.\u201d <\/p>\n
The honeymoon ended with them in Hot Springs, Ark. <\/p>\n
Years into their marriage, Joe opened his own pattern shop and Violet did all the bookkeeping for it, but the two retired early and moved to Florida in 1972. <\/p>\n
Over the course of 70 years of marriage, there are millions of little things forgotten, but it\u2019s the priceless moments that stand out for the couple, like their children being born, countless traveling (including 14 trips to Australia) and racking up an enormous bar tab. <\/p>\n
While at a country club in Florida, Joe hit a hole-in-one. To celebrate, normally the club picks up the bar tab with its insurance. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe ran around in the housing development and knocked on the doors of all our friends to come down and have a drink,\u201d Violet said. \u201cEveryone showed up and had a drink, but the insurance didn\u2019t cover it. We had to pay the whole bill.\u201d <\/p>\n
To some, Valentine\u2019s Day, this Tuesday, has lost its luster over the years. The fact that half of all marriages end in divorce isn\u2019t helping the holiday\u2019s cause, either. <\/p>\n
But for the 50-plus people watching Joe and Violet Luecke toast to their milestone \u2014 telling stories of their love the way giddy schoolkids would \u2014 the romantic feelings surrounding the week might be different. <\/p>\n
Everyone wants to know the secret to a lasting marriage. For Joe, it\u2019s a basic formula. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing you have to do is find a girl,\u201d he said. \u201cSecond, she has to be pretty. Third she has to be smart and fourth, she has to be very agreeable.\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Continued here: In 1937, Joe Luecke called up a girl from high school to ask her if she wanted to come watch him play basketball. She said she couldn\u2019t because her mother was making her go to church. \u201cMy older sister said, \u2018Hey, I know a girl who was next to my locker, Violet Anderson, and she\u2019s pretty nice Continue reading
\nDarien couple celebrates longevity, romance after 75 years<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"