My Grandparents' Courtship, 1960-65, by Jared Reed

From MemoryArchive

Who: Jared Reed
What: How grandparents met
When: 1965
Where: Iowa

The year was 1960, seems like eons ago, don't it? This was the year my Grandpa and Grandma met. Grandma lived in the very small town of Wayland, Iowa. Her family had lived in and around the Wayland area since she was born. My Grandpa and his family lived in Crawfordsville, Iowa, but upon his graduation from High School, Grandpa started working for a plumber in Wayland, Grandma's home town.

Wayland, being the small berg that it was, had very little for kids to do. Most of the kids hung out at the crochet diamond that was located in down town Wayland.

The place where my Grandpa worked was located directly in the path of getting to the crochet diamond, and Grandma's walk home to her house from school. Grandpa noticed Grandma first and as his story goes, thought she was hot!

Grandpa watched day after day, one day he was finally able to get Grandma's attention. Grandma thought Grandpa was "good looking", so started communicating with him everyday for short periods of time when she would be walking home from school. Grandma was only 14 years old at this time, she knew her parents would never allow her to go out on a date with someone that could drive a car.

Grandma and Grandpa began courting at the local crochet diamond. They would meet up there nearly every night and chat, and play a little crochet with their friends, just hang out, and spend time together.

Grandma's parents were faithful church goers, every Sunday, morning and night, and every Wednesday night. Grandpa and Grandma could not see each other on these days and nights as Grandma had to go to church. So Grandma decided to approach her Mom with the question as to whether or not she might be able to take a friend to church with her? Grandma finally got up enough nerve to ask, but decided she would just mention it was a friend, not a "boy friend". When Grandma asked her Mother, her Mother was elated to think her daughter was witnessing for the Lord and inviting friends to church with her. Not knowing Grandma had a selfish motive behind her desire to take this friend to church.

Wednesday night came, time to get going to church. Grandpa pulled up out front of the house and everyone of Grandma's brothers, she had seven, started filing out of the house to meet this "girl" their sister had invited to church. Man were they surprised to find a guy! Grandma's parents were a little more than surprised. They allowed Grandpa to go to church with Grandma, but kept a very watchful eye on the two.

Things went well, Grandpa fit in pretty good, although Grandma's brothers were a little skeptical of their only sister getting involved with some guy! Grandma and grandpa dated, if that is what you could call it, by going to church together with her parents and her brothers for two more years. It took Grandma's parents that long to make up their mind to allow Grandma to get in a car alone with this, almost, man thing. Grandma and Grandpa dated for six years. Hows that for a long courtship? By this time Grandma had graduated High School and a one year college program. Grandpa was now working for a Plumber in Washington, Iowa instead of Wayland, Iowa. Grandpa and Grandma had gone on a date, They had a lovers quarell a few days earlier. Grandpa had decided he wanted to make up. They had gone out on a date that night and he had given her a small gift, inside the gift was an engagement ring. Of course Grandma said yes and they were married six months later. That has been 41 years ago.