This summer, Jack Walsh and Jeri Walsh will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary. It’s that very day, Aug. 27, that has the greatest significance for them, illustrating their commitment to one another. But every Feb. 14, the couple says they are reminded again of their experiences together and love for one another.
“Valentine’s Day is quite a tradition,” Jack Walsh said. “We acknowledge it in that sense.”
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
Jeri and Jack Walsh are preparing to celebrate 52 years of marriage.The holiday this year isn’t bringing the customary sentiment that the couple is used to — they will be heading up to the University of Maryland on the 13th for his scheduled medical procedure. “I won’t be in any position to celebrate,” he said, though they claim that there will probably still be a nice evening out for dinner and sharing of cards.
With so many successful years together, most who aspire to the same longevity in marriage would want to know how they do it.
“A lot of it is giving of yourself to your partner,” said Jack Walsh. “Being unselfish — wanting to be there to help each other — that’s a big part of it.”
Attentiveness, he mentioned, is one of the main qualities that have kept their relationship together. “Communication is key,” he said. “You really have to be a good listener. Love, of course, is always a part of all that. It breeds that whole process. If you care for each other, everything else really falls into place.”
It also doesn’t hurt that the two share much of the same interests. They have been avid skiers for decades and often find themselves returning to the hillsides of Vermont. “We went to a lot of shows and went out dancing,” said Jeri Walsh.
“We’re very fortunate that we have so much in common,” Jack Walsh added. “We do a lot of things we shared together that took us all over the world. We have very common likes, and that makes a big difference.”
The two started dating during their senior year in high school, in 1951. “We were in different high schools,” said Jeri Walsh, “But we chummed with the same crowd. I knew him when I was 16 and he was 17.”
Their relationship continued soundly, even as Jack Walsh was drafted into the Air Force in the Korean War, in 1953. Though a drastic change, the two looked at the war as a chance to strengthen the relationship. Their romance flourished and the two found themselves writing each other almost daily.
“We were definitely pen pals,” said Jack Walsh with a laugh, “in the biggest sense of the word. Absence really makes the heart grow fonder.” Soon, he proposed to Jeri – over a trans-Atlantic call.
“When you’re dating for so many years, you talk about marriage,” said Jeri Walsh, “but I didn’t expect it at the time. I couldn’t hear him that clearly. It was fading in and out, and he was hollering.”
“I can’t think of the circumstances that led me to do it,” said Jack Walsh. “I think it was a matter of trying to reinforce our relationship as best we could. It was a little bit of practicality, too.” The two wanted to be wed upon his return in 1955, when he was on leave.
“It’s awfully important that you marry the right person,” said Jack Walsh, “and, most of the time, there’s no way to determine that. It’s probably the biggest decision you make in your life, or at least be the one that has the most impact on you.”
The two moved to Alexandria, La., where he was stationed for almost two years, at England Air Force Base.
“It was a really great experience for us,” said Jack Walsh. “We started our marriage off in a totally different environment that neither of us were familiar with. We had to depend a lot on each other. We didn’t have any friends or family in the area to depend on. It was really great for our relationship.”
Following Louisiana, the two returned to the Massachusetts, where Jack Walsh attended Boston University. Jeri Walsh was employed by the university, helping with tuition costs while her husband was enrolled. She then devoted her time to raising their family with the birth of their first child. Subsequent to his studies, Jack Walsh became an aerospace engineer, a profession that he would stick with until the couple’s retirement in 1996.
Their quiet Bethany Beach home has served as a permanent residence for the two for the past 11 years. Prior to that, it was their vacation spot — a gathering place for the family, since 1984.
“Our sons had introduced us to Delaware,” said Jack Walsh. “We really liked it. I had no idea what an attractive spot it was.” The couple, originally from the Boston area, was not sure how to leave New England and their summer trips through Rhode Island and Cape Cod. They have raised their family primarily in Connecticut.
Their daughter, now in Virginia, and two sons, one in Connecticut and the other in California, have since been married and started families of their own.
“We really grew to love the [Delaware] shore,” added Jeri Walsh. “When it came to retirement, we were thinking of where we wanted to go. We loved being near the ocean, and both agreed we liked the thought of Bethany Beach.”
By that time, Jack Walsh said, it was no surprise that they returned to the place that was once their summer home.
“We knew what the lay of the land was, and we knew the people,” he said. Over the years, they established a genuine social acquaintance with the area. Jack Walsh became active in local politics, serving as a councilman and mayor of Bethany Beach.
“That resulted in expanding our lives,” said Jack Walsh. “We got to meet so many great people.”
The move has also allowed them to continue their close relationship with each other and to enjoy the many pastimes that they share. And even though Valentine’s Day of 2007 won’t be spent with a romantic evening at their Bethany Beach home, the day will be treasured as one more to remember in the decades of caring and communication that has led them nearly to their 52nd anniversary.