It was another world

/ J. F. Riordan

Today would have been my parents’ 79th wedding anniversary. World War ll was coming to its climax, and my dad begged my mom to come to Annapolis to get married before he shipped out. So she, my aunt, and my paternal grandmother—my other grandmother had already died—took an unheated train from upstate New York to Virginia. They were so cold they all snuggled together under my grandmother’s big fur coat.

It was war time, so there were no cabs, and they had to take a trolley to get to the Navy chapel. My mother always said that was the moment she was glad she hadn’t worn a wedding gown. Instead she wore a dove gray suit with a spray of yellow roses. My father always gave her yellow roses for their anniversary.

They all spent the wedding night together in one room. Romance wasn’t really an option in war. My mother said many times how when they kissed good bye she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again. It’s hard to imagine how difficult life was then.

And we all think we are stressed.

My dad and mom are in the middle. My Aunt Ruth was matron of honor. The name of the best man is lost to time.

34 thoughts on “It was another world”

  1. My sweet Gramma, who went home to Jesus at age 93 in 2022, once advised me to label every single photograph. “You think you will remember the names of everyone, but you won’t.” Thanks for being there for your friend all the same, Mr. Best Man!

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  4. My parents had a remarkably similar marriage story. My dad was in the Navy and wrote my mom that she “probably ought to get up here” because he was shipping out of Norfolk and didn’t have time to come home. That was a marriage proposal. My two grandmothers and my mother got on a train in East Texas, in what sounds like similar conditions, and arrived in Virginia to witness my parents marriage by a “Chinese Baptist preacher”, probably at the Naval Chapel as well, though I never heard that specific information. My two grandmothers got back on the train and came back to Texas and mother and daddy went to New York for a two day honeymoon before he shipped out. I never saw a picture, but I heard the story from all involved many times. It truly was another world.

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  5. Dear J.F., I so enjoyed your story about your parents wedding. Thank you for sharing. I tried to enhance your parents wedding photo, and I will send it to your old Twitter account direct message. I’ve been following your account here at WordPress since you switched over and every day I enjoy your stories and of course the photos of Auggie and Ely and old ones of Pete and Moses.

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  6. This is a beautiful story and your Mom looks lovely. It’s true, we can’t imagine how it was in war times and experience the fear your Mom must have felt. Happy Anniversary to your Mom and Dad in heaven. I bet he gave her yellow roses today.💞💞💞

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  7. Such a beautiful story and so touching. Having a strong interest in history if there was one time period I could go back in time it would be during WWII, both at home and abroad.

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  8. Such a wonderful and touching story of the hardships and fears that those at home experienced during wartime. As an avid follower of WWII history if there was a time period that I wish I could time travel to, it would be the homefront and the war front of WWII.

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  10. Your story brought back memories of my parents wedding that my mother told often over the years. It was very similar circumstances. My aunt and maternal grandmother were their witnesses. Mother was only 19 and too young to be married in NE so they drove to Missouri where she was of legal age. Then back afterwards to spend one night together before my dad shipped out the next morning not knowing when they would see each other again. Months later she took a train by herself all the way to CA where my dad was in officer training to become a pilot. She got a job washing airplanes and could see him from afar. Sounds very romantic but they had many hard challenges. They truly were the greatest generation.

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  11. You remind me of my own parent’s story. My parents met before the war in D.C., both working for the government. When the war started my father was sent to boot camp in Texas. Knowing he would be shipped to Europe immediately after he finished, he asked my mother to come to Texas to marry him. She rode the train for 3 days to get there, and wore a blue suit and hat for her wedding in the Cathedral at Dallas. They had a 3 day honeymoon before she took the train back. They didn’t see each other for nearly 3 years. They are gone now, but when I see their wedding picture, it reminds me of their courage and their hope.

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  12. That must have been one long trolley ride after the train, seeing how Annapolis is in Maryland!! Regardless, an unheated train….eeek!! Love stories like this and the photos that go along with them.

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  14. Beautiful remembrance for your parents and the world.
    Can’t tell you how I look forward to and enjoy your stories and pup pictures. They are like a shinning light and often cause me to stop and reflect or think. Even the story about the band of squirrels!
    Thank you for taking the time to post these.
    Best…MJ

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  15. No marriage certificate? If you could locate that, you could likely find the best man’s name as he is probably one of two witnesses

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  16. I love this! My mom got married in a similar way. Her 24 year old husband was shot down over Germany. He was smuggled out by the resistance. He came home a hero. My mom was pregnant with their first child when he was killed in a training exercise over the Potomac. I wonder how many Americans really understand the sacrifices these men made.

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  18. So nice you know that story. I wish I had thought to ask my parents about their wedding. This makes me determined to tell my children and grandchildren about mine!

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  22. A 79th wedding anniversary leaves so many questions unanswered. This would be a wonderful 1st line of a book for you to write about the past and future of someone so as to answer some of those questions

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