By Dan Bechtold, Editor
Love. Patience. Respect. These are the three guiding principals that have helped Bill and Evelynne Moses through 70 years of marriage.
The Winner couple will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Sunday, May 21, with an open house at the Winner Methodist Church from 2-4 p.m. The public and all of their friends are invited to attend to wish this Winner couple a happy anniversary.
The actual anniversary is on May 20 but due to Winner and Gregory High School graduations on that date, they moved their celebration to Sunday.
They were married one year from the date of their high school graduation in 1946.
The couple were married on May 20, 1947, at the old Methodist Church. Rev. D.W. Nankivel officiated at the ceremony. Attendants were Bill’s brother, Bob and Evelynne’s sister, Phyllis.
Bill has lived his entire life in Winner and came from a family of 10 children—5 boys and 5 girls.
Evelynne Wickstrom was raised in Hamill and when she entered her freshman year of high school the family moved to Winner.
Though they were in the same high school class, their first date was not until baccalaureate and their second date was on graduation.
Their love for each other grew and in December of 1946 Bill gave his sweetheart an engagement ring and asked her to marry him. Evelynne said “yes.”
The first two months the newlyweds lived with her parents.
Bill continued to work at the Coop, a job he started in high school. In 1948, Bill went to work for Walt Schramm at Schramm Furniture and remained there for 45 ½ years. In 1993, Bill retired but for several years would come in to help when asked.
Evelynne had several jobs. She worked as a bookkeeper for Paul Blomstrom. Then, she stayed at home to raise her children and did not go back to work until her youngest, Debbie was in grade school. She went back to work for Blomstrom.
From 1969-1977 she worked at Farmers State Bank and then worked as a secretary at the Methodist church for nine years. When she was 62, Evelynne retired.
The couple have lived in their same house on 8th street for 55 years. They moved into the home in 1961. At first they rented for six years and then bought the home. They are proud of the fact they are still able to live in their own home.
They did not have a big celebration for their 50th or 60th wedding anniversaries so their kids felt it was time to celebrate with an open house on their 70th anniversary.
Bill said on their 50th wedding anniversary they went on a two week trip to the East Coast and on their 60th anniversary they went to Kansas City for the weekend.
When asked what has been the key to their long marriage they were quick to add it is love, patience and respect.
They added when problems arose they worked things out and that made their love that much stronger.
“We never had a lot of problems,” said Evelynne. She added their kids were good and the joy of their life.
The Moses have three grown children: Steve and wife, Cathy, Ft. Pierre; Sally Miller and husband, Nels of Gregory and Debbie Ochsner and husband, Scott of St. Paul, Minn. The couple have nine grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
From that very first date at baccalaureate to now, you can see in this couple that their love for each other has never wavered.
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