Couple To Celebrate Diamond Anniversary
What’s the secret of having a marriage that lasts 75 years?
“Don’t die,” Don Kuhlenschmidt quips, invoking laughter from his wife, Margaret.
The Evansville couple, who are members of Resurrection Parish, will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day.
The Kuhlenschmidts met at the young age of 12 when Margaret’s family moved in across the street. “And that was it,” Don said. “She couldn’t have any more boyfriends. I would beat them up.”
Don uses a wheelchair these days, but his mind is sharp and steady. He easily recalls their many firsts – building their first home in Newburgh; traveling through storms in Canada to pick up their son, Duane; and even their first kiss.
“Her best friend lived next door, and she always came down to visit,” Don recalls. “I kissed her on the (neighbors’) front step when she was 13.”
The couple married on Feb. 14,, 1942, the last Saturday before Lent began that year. Don was 19, and Margaret was a few days shy of her 19th birthday.
“You see, there was this thing called a war,” Don said. “People were getting drafted, and I had an opportunity to get into the Civilian Pilot’s Training program. They knew we were heading into the war, so I joined and she followed me around.”
“I think back, I was as dumb as anybody can be,” Margaret said with a laugh. “He went to camp in North Carolina. I went down on a bus and went straight to the camp. I didn’t know not to do that! There was no one to tell me what to do, no telephones or anything. They put him on KP because I did that and I still didn’t get to talk to him.”
Don and Margaret learned together how to work hard and raise a family. After the war, the couple returned to Evansville and bought 200 acres of land with plans to farm. The house, which was badly in need of repairs, was hiding a secret, which Don discovered when he started work to tear it down.
“I came in with a sledge hammer and was going to have some fun,” Don recounted. “I hit that wall with the sledge hammer and it bounced back at me. Then I hit it again…same thing. So I got my crow bar, and saw the original logs.”
Don had uncovered a log cabin, originally built in the 1800’s.
“I told the Boss Lady, sorry, but we’re not going to tear that down. And she’s had to put up with me all our lives for the stupid things I’ve done like that.”
The couple’s sense of adventure hasn’t faded over the years. Don started building his first airplane when he was 68 years old and began flying it at age 75. The couple has flown all over the Continental United States, Alaska, Canada and the Arctic Circle.
Now in their 90’s, the Kuhlenschmidts looks back with wonder at all they have witnessed. “I think we’ve lived in the very best age because we’ve seen it all from the Great Depression until now,“ Margaret said. “I don’t think ever in history there have been as many changes in a lifetime.”
Don chimed in, “You don’t have much control over how long you’re going to live. But you have to keep at it. My dear little wife … she has to keep after it because she has to go after I go.”
May God bless Don and Margaret Kuhlenschmidt, and best wishes for a wonderful day!
