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Della, 74, and Larry, 77, met during a trip to Pennsylvania in 1956. Della, originally from Monroe, was traveling with her sister and brother-in-law when they set her up on a blind date with his younger brother, Larry. They married Jan. 4, 1958 and now live in Monroe. Della tells their story.
Fall break: I graduated from Prospect High in May and that September, my sister invited me to go with her and her husband to visit his family outside of Reading, Pa. I had done very little traveling, so Reading seemed light years away.
Set up: I met Larry the first day we were there and for me, it was love at first sight. He was sitting on a window seat, reading the newspaper, and had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. My heart did a little flip and I remember thinking “Wow, is this my blind date?” We spent the afternoon as a group at a fish hatchery and Larry and I went to the movies that night. Afterward, we spent the evening on Skyline Drive, overlooking Reading and talking about how much we liked each other.
Big decisions: After I came home, we kept in touch with letters and calls. In June 1957, Larry and a friend spent a week in Charlotte with me. We knew we cared for each other and didn’t like the distance between us. In September I went north to visit for a week and we decided to get married in January. Two days after our wedding in Monroe, I went to live with Larry as his mate for life.
55 years and counting: Our marriage has been full of wonderful happenings, like the birth of our four sons, the arrival of our four daughter-in-laws and nine wonderful grandchildren, whom we love very much. Little did we know, God had a plan for us and we thank him for it. Hilary Trenda
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E-mail htrenda@charlotteobserver.com. Type "love story" in subject field. Include full names, ages, address, daytime phone number, wedding date, photo. To read past Love Stories: www.charlotteobserver.com/love.
