On a fall day in 1945, Leona and Art Schlenz made a promise to one another to live their lives together for the rest of their days.
“You have to take the good with the bad and believe in each other,” Leona said.
Holding that promise true, the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary Oct. 7 in Jamestown with their families.
“It’s tough (marriage), but it’s a choice,” Art said.
Their wedding was simple. There was no white dress, honeymoon or decorations. Art said that the day after his wedding he was back out on the tractor, simply because there was work to be done.
Instead of hundreds of guests and bundles of flowers, the couple were surrounded with their dearest family and friends at Leona’s parents’ home, making a promise they would see through.
Sitting in his recliner on the farthest side of their bedroom Monday afternoon, Art’s face began to light up as he spoke about a flock of geese that flew across the blue sky of Fredonia the day they wed.
He also was especially enthusiastic about the supper menu the night of his wedding. Art said Leona’s mother prepared seven different kinds of meat, including chicken, beef and duck and pickled vegetables decorated the dinner table.
As a wedding present, Art’s family gave Leona 14 cows for farming, which she said supplied the family with milk and food for years to follow. The couple farmed for the majority of their lives, harvesting crops of wheat and oats, according to Art.
Art said he always loved when Leona made homemade jerky from their livestock.
Picture: www.queeniebridaldress.co.ukLeona said she spent a lot of her time in the kitchen, and Art said she always had a treat ready for visitors.
Art said he first spotted the woman who was to be his wife when he was 25 years old. Leona, 20 at the time, was out dancing with her friends when Art approached her.
Their first date was a dinner date with Leona’s family around the table. Leona said it was typical of the time to not go out to dinner, but instead to spend time at home getting to know each other’s family. The couple dated for a year before they wed.
They had three children, Larry, 69, Charlotte, 66, and Robbin, 55. They also have eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Spending time with their grandchildren tops the charts for the couple’s favorite activity to date.
Beginning in their 50s the couple spent 21 winters in Apache Junction, Ariz., where Leona recalls these seasons as her favorite memories with her husband. They would play cards, visit together and enjoy the sunshine.
Art also did carpenter work during his time in Arizona. Some of his work still hangs on the walls of his bedroom, including a stylish clock and a paisley-type carved candle holder.
After the children grew up and moved out, Art and Leona moved to Wishek, where they had a house built, and continued farming. Leona also worked at a nursing home in Wishek. Fifteen years later, the couple sold the house and moved to Jamestown to be closer to Robbin, where they reside today.
Leona said they stayed together “because we loved each other,” and her favorite thing about her spouse was that he was always nice to her. Art laughed and said she was hooked from the beginning because of his looks.
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