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RANDOLPH – Valentine’s Day will be much like any other day for Don and Ann Marie Thies.
It will be without flashy romantic gestures or extravagant gifts - and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
They’ve built their life on the best gift of all steady, unwavering commitment to each other and their family in a love that has stood the test of time.
Their love story began when their eyes locked across a crowded dance floor at the West Randolph Ballroom, the background soundtrack by musician Artie Schmidt.
All the girls danced with all the boys, Ann Marie explained, and she was introduced to Don by his neighbor Paul Nordhues.
When the dance ended, Don did something special - offered to drive her home. She learned that he was acquainted with her brother, Marvin Moes.
From that day, Don, a young man from Randolph, courted Ann Marie, a young lady from Osmond.
“That was our main thing, we would go dancing every Sunday night, either in the King’s Ballroom or the Randolph ballroom,” Ann Marie said.
They dated for about a year before Don popped the question.
“I think he didn’t want to buy the engagement ring until he knew I wanted to marry him,” she said.
Four months later on April 4, 1959, they said “I do” and made a vow to love each other for better or worse. In front of about 125 guests, they danced their first song as husband and wife to the same Artie Schmidt songs from when they met.
The couple honeymooned at Estes Park, Colo. and then moved into a farm house about four miles north of Randolph.
Ann Marie recalled her father not too pleased her newlywed home was without running water.
“We never had any money but we got married anyhow,” she said. “We lived on a shoestring.”
Together they raised dairy cattle, hogs, chickens, corn, hay, oats and six children - “a little bit of everything,” Don said.
“On a farm, it was kind of hard,” Ann Marie recalled. “Don doesn’t show his feelings very easy. He’s kind of that old-fashioned man. He’s very good to me, a good husband, provided for our family.”
The years flew by in a blur of sunshine and clouds, laughter and tears.
Most of their Valentine’s Days passed without fanfare and little time for romance. If they scraped enough money together, they might’ve dined out at a restaurant, Ann Marie said.
“We probably didn’t have much time for ourselves,” Ann Marie said. “He comes home at 10 o’clock at night. He’s got all these kids and they all crawl on his lap and he tries to read the paper and they knock it away.”
Their children, Greg, Debbie, Christine, Steve, Jeff and Lisa, grew and had their own families. Ann Marie and Don count 25 grandkids and 48 great-grandkids as their own. And their family keeps expanding . . . all because they fell in love.
“Just look at what we started,” she said as she examined framed photos of multiple generations of her family. “If I can keep track of all the names, that’s good.”
The Thieses moved from the farm in 1989. Don enjoyed piloting a 1947 Stinson four-seat airplane, and they enjoyed fly-in breakfast events in the area. Other travel and vacations have filled in their golden years including a favorite trip overseas to Luxembourg where Ann Marie’s father, Anton Moes, grew up.
She spent many days sewing and baking, known for her delicious pies, breads and sweet rolls. She also gave piano lessons. Both served in their church, St. Frances de Chantal, Randolph.
Their 50th wedding anniversary dance was the last event held at the West Randolph Ballroom, and it happened during a spring blizzard.
Don said the secret to a long marriage is “give and take.”
“Every marriage is not perfect,” Ann Marie said. “You have your ups and your downs, but you have to get through that. You take a vow for the good and the bad.”
Now, more than 65 years later, Don and Ann Marie have made a new home, at Colonial Manor. Don has been in the skilled nursing facility for two years, and Ann Marie on the assisted living side for almost one year.
They’ll enjoy a usual, quiet Valentine’s Day this year. The Colonial Manor staff will make the holiday festive with red tablecloths, balloons, activities and treats.
It may not be the most romantic but when all the trappings of the holiday fade, they will still have each other’s steady, unwavering commitment until the end.
“I tell him I love him every day, and I give him a kiss every day,” Ann Marie said. “To help take care of him, that’s part of love now. It’s the caring.”
