Wedded Bliss: Marriage vows renewed by three Oak Crest couples

Couples renewing their vows at Oak Crest were (from left) Al and Meg Walker, Ollie and Mary Carpenter and Jack and Marti Leifheit. Provided photo

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Three couples with a total of 183 years of married life renewed their vows during June at Oak Crest DeKalb Retirement Center as part of a special celebration of marriage. Residents provided memorabilia of their weddings for a display that included photos, wedding gowns, going-away suits, hats, shoes and purses from their own cedar chests and closets. The highlight of the monthlong observance was the &#8220Celebration of Marriage” by three couples who repeated their vows after a half century or more of matrimony in the Bradt Chapel at Oak Crest. Deacon Charles Ridulph of DeKalb Christian Senior Ministries conducted the service of affirmation. Standing together were Ollie and Mary Carpenter, who were first married at St. Mary's in DeKalb, Jack and Marti Leifheit, who married in Quantico, Va., also in 1942, and Al and Meg Walker, who eloped on June 17, 1954, in Lakeside, Ohio. Al Walker explained they decided to elope because his bride, Meg, was a well-known women's editor of the Akron Beacon-Journal and her wedding would have involved hundreds of invites if they planned a formal event. About 40 years later, they renewed their vows using the same Methodist bishop, but at the Carls Fargo in Sycamore. The renewal of their vows in June was especially poignant for Walker because his wife has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease the past 14 years, and this has presented a great challenge in their lives as she enters the advanced stages of the disease. Soloist for the ceremony was Liz Hoppenworth, director of resident services for Oak Crest, while residents Ruth Brown and Isabel Cash were greeters. Following the lighting of a unity candle at the altar, the couples formed a receiving line for guests and then moved to the first floor atrium for wedding cake and punch.