We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Ted and Gerry Lenhardt celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary the weekend after Thanksgiving. The couple, originally from the Billings area, spent most of their adult life farming along the Hi-Line, first around Havre, then in the Zurich area. They retired to the Havre area in the late 1980's and moved to the Grande Villa, in Chinook, about five years ago.
Ted and Gerry, both in their early 90's, were married at the German Congregational Church in Billings, December 6, 1941-one day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of their wedding day, Gerry said, "After the ceremony at the church we all went to Ted's folk's house. The relatives came, Ted's mother cooked dinner and all the guests brought something for the meal. They brought their musical instruments and we danced after the meal."
Joining an elite group of married couples
Achieving the 75th anniversary is not common. Fact is, it's extraordinary. Researchers who specialize in population studies say about 1000 couples in the U.S. currently have been married at least 75 years. While six percent of married couples make it to the golden anniversary (50 years), less than a half of one percent achieve the diamond milestone. In 2014 the 'longest known married couple in the U.S.' had been married for nearly 84 years. Reaching the diamond anniversary is so rare that the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't even keep statistics about the number of couples married for 75 or more years.
Despite the rarity of couples married for three quarters of a century, researchers say 'the numbers could be increasing.' Most of that potential increase is related to healthier lifestyles and people living longer. One factor working against more record long term marriages is the current trend of people marrying later in life-with the average age of marriage for both men and women currently in the mid-20's. When the Lenhardts married, in 1941, they were young-Ted was 19 and Gerry was 17. History has shown that most long-term marriages are among couples that married young.
Marriage, war and farming
Ted Lenhardt's family lived and worked on a number of farms in the Billings area. Gerry was a self-described 'city girl' who didn't know much about farming. The young couple moved into a farm house with Ted's family-parents and six children. Gerry said, "After we got married I grew up fast. Ted's mother pretty much turned the running of the household over to me. I did the cooking and the cleaning." Eventually Ted and Gerry were able to make their own living space in a shop building on the farm. Gerry said, "I was really proud of that little space and kept the linoleum floor sparkling." In addition to farm work, Ted worked at the 'coal docks,' where railroad engines took on coal and water.
Ted and Gerry's first child, Daniel, was born in 1943. A second son, Gary, was born in 1945, just a few days before Ted was drafted into the military. With Ted away Gerry moved, with the two little boys, back with her parents in Billings. She said, "I realized I needed my own space and finally found a small, log cabin to rent in Billings. One of my sisters moved in with us and helped with the rent."
Ted's father got sick and later died. That necessitated Ted's coming back home to help his mother and siblings with the farm work. Ted and Gerry moved to a farm close by and began working there. Gerry said, "That was an interesting place. We lived in a box car." She couldn't recall if it had been lived in but explained, "We were just excited to have a place of our own." In addition to Ted's working the farm, both he and Gerry worked nights at a cannery in the area.
On to the Hi-Line
There were four sisters in Gerry's family. One of them had married a farmer in the Havre area. That sister and her husband asked Gerry and Ted to come run a farm outside Havre. Ted and Gerry made their move to the Hi-Line. That was 1946. Ted said, "It was an irrigated farm and the main crop was sugar beets. I had experience with sugar beets so it was a good fit for us."
In 1951 the Lenhardts moved to a farm, near Zurich, owned by Henry Kuhr. They worked there, doing grain, sugar beets and feeding sheep through the winter, until Ted retired from farming in 1988. Gerry said, "Ted was always the 'high grower' when it came to beets. He was very good at raising sugar beets." She added, "I helped farm and when Danny got old enough to drive a truck, he and I would haul beets during the harvest." Gerry also drove a tractor and worked on the harvester where beets were separated off a belt by hand.
While living in Zurich Gerry started a career outside of the home, as bailiff for the District Court in Chinook. She did that job for about 30 years, continuing after Ted retired and they had moved back to the Havre area. Asked how she got into that line of work Gerry said, "The lady who had the job wanted to retire and asked if I'd be interested. I took to the job and did it for a long time. There was always a male and a female bailiff. For many years I worked with Ray Reid, a retired teacher who still lives in Chinook." After Ted retired and the couple moved to Havre, Gerry also worked as a food demonstrator in stores along the Hi-Line. She explained, "It was a natural for me as I love to interact with people and enjoy cooking."
In Zurich she was active in the Extension Service's Home Demonstration group, a program designed to bring "expert instruction on the subjects of home economics and agriculture to rural women." The family was also active in the American Lutheran Church in Chinook. Gerry said of the years on the farm around Zurich, "We helped each other out when someone had a problem. We visited in each other's homes and had card parties. It was like one big family." Later, after retiring to the Havre area, Gerry volunteered with the Havre Hospital.
The Lenhardts had five children, Danny, Gary, another boy who died in infancy, Sandra and Curt. Gary died of cancer several years ago. Danny and Sandra still live in the Chinook area. Curt lives on the west coast in Vancouver, Washington. Gerry and Ted have five adult grandchildren: Brian Lenhardt (and spouse, Rene); Angie Lenhardt; Jason Lenhardt; Nancy Kinyon (Jeremy) and Jennifer Metcalf (Jason). They have six great grandchildren.
Reflections on
75 years of marriage
Asked about the biggest challenges and joys in their marriage, Ted said, "For me the biggest challenge was getting started farming." Fortunately, they both liked farming. Gerry had grown up in town, but quickly adapted to farm life. They both agreed the greatest joy was raising a family.
They were reluctant to offer advice to newlyweds for a happy marriage. They said they seldom argued and, as Gerry put it, "We pretty much learned to go with things as they happened." Her advice was rather succinct, "Think twice before you jump into something and learn to give and take." And they both made a point of noting how fortunate they felt to have made the diamond milestone.
The "Journal" congratulates Ted and Gerry Lenhardt on their 75th wedding anniversary. Welcome to the elite group of married couples who have reached the diamond milestone.
