Celebration from Virginia McKinnon

Hi Joey, Robert and I are celebrating our 60 Wedding Annivesary next week.
I would like to share our story with your readers. Virginia (Frontiero) McKinnon

Our Love Story
Our story began in April of 1953. Bob was a diesel machinist at the Independent Machine Co. on Wharf St. in Gloucester.  Bob was repairing the engine of the fishing vessel, American Eagle. Peter was the engineer. Bob and Peter were old high school friends. In their conversation Peter just happened to inquired “ Bob,  Do you have a girlfriend?  Bob answered “Peter, I’ll tell you a secret, I was walking by Johnson’s Insurance office, on Duncan Street on my way to Sterling’s to have my “mug up” (coffee break) I happened to look in the window and fell in love at first sight with the Italian young lady working there. Sometimes I hurry home from work and to get cleaned up, just to stand outside the YMCA to see her walk by on her way home from work and my heart just skips a beat. I can’t find the courage to talk to her.” Peter stated. “That young lady is my niece! She lives just next door to me on Gould Court. Would you like to be introduced to her?”  Bob was so surprised and answered in the affirmative. Peter replied “ I will ask her to baby-sit for my son on Monday night at 7 pm and you can visit at quarter of seven.  I will be happy to  introduce you to her.”  Quickly the news spread of this impending romantic encounter and the family was so excited, but very careful to keep this secret from the young lady. I arrived promptly at 7 pm to baby-sit for little Sandy, when my Uncle Peter informed me that his good friend, Bob, just happened to come by for coffee. “We will not be going out” he stated, “but would you like to join us for coffee? .”  After having coffee, I got up to leave and Bob followed me. “Would you like to see my new car?” He stated. There was this beautiful 1952 Buick, hard-top, convertible. bright yellow with a black top. The car had big fins in back and lots of chrome. I had never seen such a beautiful car. Bob asked if I would like to go for a ride tomorrow night and maybe see a movie. Of course I could not refuse this offer. So the next night we had our first date. A few days later Bob came by the insurance office at 5 o’clock to offer me a ride home from work and my mother invited him to have dinner with my family. We always had good Italian food. My brother was away at college, but my younger sisters enjoyed his company. Soon Bob was having dinner with us almost daily.
Bob proposed to me in June. at my cousin‘s wedding. Since I was the maid of honor, Bob was asked to be the best man at the wedding.  Early one Saturday morning Bob came knocking at my  door at 7 am., We were all asleep.  My Dad said “You had better marry this guy, so we can get some peace and quiet.”

We were married on Thanksgiving Day, as my uncles were all fisherman and I knew this was one day they would be on shore to attend my wedding. We had a large Italian wedding at St. Ann’s Church, after the ceremony I requested the limo to make our traditional trip to “Little Italy” down Commercial Street and around the Fort Square, horns blasting all the way in celebration. All the wedding party and guest joined us. Our reception was in Manchester.

We went to Washington DC on our honeymoon. We were lucky to see Frances Langford at a nightclub, as Bob remembered seeing her, when he was in the Navy during WW2.  As he was walking across the airfield on the island of Tarawa in the Asiatic Pacific,  a jeep stopped, asking direction to the mess hall. There was Frances Langford, Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, and Carol Lombard. 

We are so lucky to be having a early celebration of our 60th wedding Anniversary with our party at the Gloucester House on June 8th with seven children, eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and their families and our families and friends all attending.. 

Still together and still lucky in love.    Virginia (Frontiero) McKinnon  June 2013