How they met is described below
There was a song, I Found A Million Dollar Baby In A Five and Ten Cent store. Published 1931 it was recorded by many artists. That song describes it - as that's where my dad found my Mom. She wasn't selling china or candy, she was selling Hardware. My Dad needed galvanized wire. He was building an armature for a piece of sculpture he was creating on base at Ft Bragg. So he went to the 5 and 10 cent store in Fayetteville NC. There she was, 5 feet 2, eyes of hazel green, and hair the color of a copper penny, to quote my Dad. I think her southern accent also perked his fancy because she said, "you'all want GAL...VEN.....IZED....Waire? What, cha goin to do wit that?" Really needed to hear my father say this. My mother never admitted or agreed to his talking about her accent. Which disappeared completely after living in NJ for 40 something years.
Now, that was how they met, he continued to frequent the 5 and dime, but never made a move. Finally one day my mother who thought he was the most handsome and nicest man God ever put on the earth, said one day, "I get off at 5pm if you want to walk me to the bus stop." That's how it all began. I think they knew each other for several months.
They were married on Oct 11, 1942 at St. Anne Church in Fayetteville NC. His best friend, for most of his life, Jack( John) Obzansky, of Raritan, who went into the service at the same time as my Dad, was also stationed at Ft. Bragg. Jack was his best man. ( I don't have any pictures, they were ruined many years ago do to water damage.) My dad went overseas on December 12, 1942. So they were together for a short time before he left. He arrived in North Africa on Dec 24, 1942. Shortly there after, he found out my mother was pregnant with me. Probably a honeymoon baby.
It was a love story that lasted over 63 years, even though my father passed in 1986, He was her one and only love. Pretty beautiful.
Joan Rudloff