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Home: 50th Wedding Anniversary, 1959-2008 |
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Fifty, very short years ago on June 25, 1959 David Paul Clark from the United States of America and Martha Maria Wilhelmina van Der Kooij from the Netherlands were married in the Netherlands at City Hall in the town of Vlaardingen and married again in the Catholic Church of Sint Johannes de Doper. (Saint John The Baptist). Our parents are Robert and Mary Rose Clark of Des Plaines. Perterus Johannes en Mien, Wilhelmina Van Der Kooij from Vlaardingen. Below is our official wedding photograph. Our union has been blessed with three daughters, Teresa, Beatrice and Monique, they are our pride, joy, and love. We have six wonderful granddaughters and three great granddaughters. And one great grandson on the way. |
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Our dearest daughters, Monique and Beatrice |
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David on graduation day with long time friend Jens Brasch |
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Martha’s graduation with her good friend Mona and David my friend of 50 years. Mona has been our friend for 35 years |
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The wedding day was a marvelous and a unique experience in part because when David and I got married neither one of us had any knowledge or were familiar with each others culture and language. However, Love is Universal and has the power to overcome any obstacle. And you had to have the audacity to take on such a big challenge. I assure you it was a big, big, challenge for both of us.
The day itself began with a lovely wedding ceremony at a 17th Century City Hall in my home town, Vlaardingen. My family and friends where all present at the ceremony. After we where married before the local Civil Court we left after a reception to the church for our religious wedding, we were married by the Boy Scout Chaplin. I was a Boy
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Scout leader, hence the Chaplain. Our marriage was celebrated with a beautiful High Mass with all my Boy Scouts in atten dance. The chaplain gave the homely spoken first in my language and then in English, at least he tried. After Mass we had breakfast at the Rectory.
The celebrations at my house were wonderful and happy David and I laughed a lot that day for we could not exactly carry on a conversation with each other. Despite this handicap we both felt happy and confidant about our journey in life together as husband and wife. In the picture to the left are our daughters and me. From below we have Teresa, our oldest daughter, then Beatrice our second daughter, me, Martha and Monique our youngest child. |
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Sharing Moments of Our 50 Years Together Through Snapshots, Enjoy |
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David in the Navy, visiting Spain, before he met me. Martha in Holland before I met David. Our future would soon meet—a life created together to last so far fifty years. May we be blessed with continued happy and healthy years. |
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Precocious Sarah and Opa |
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Our beautiful and smart Granddaughter Hannah |
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In Teresa’s Kitchen with Monique, our two daughters Hannah is in the background |
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My beloved Granddaughter Monique and me, Oma. |
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This air plain is a Super constellation —it is what I flew to the United States of America fifty years ago, to begin my life in that wondrous and complex country. I have often wondered what was I thinking to leave all that I knew and all that I was behind and begin anew in America. Love moves mountains it make the impossible possible, it transcends all, so here I am with David Clark 50 years later both happy and knowing that we have done well. In our retirement we travel with our Iconic Airstream and enjoy a Airstream club, WBCCI, how much more American could I be!!** |
