When I was very young, I spent several days with the Walker girls while my mom took care of her mother who was ill at the time. While I was actually their cousin, they treated me like their little brother. Diane is six years my senior, Elizabeth four, and Ruth Ellen almost two.
Diane married Mike Smith about the time I started college. When I asked her how old she was, her reply was “twenty-four”. I offered up an off the cuff, “It’s about time. You’re getting old.” Little did I know that years later, when I developed the suggested marriage rules for my own three children, “at least twenty-four” would be the threshold I’d set.
The only other thing I recall about their wedding was it took place at Kanley Memorial Chapel, an interfaith chapel, located on Michigan Avenue, at the heart of Western Michigan University’s Main Campus.
Elizabeth married Dom a couple of years later. She was a cheerleader, and he was a football star at Olivet College. They didn’t marry until a year or so after graduation. Elizabeth had gone to California to teach. When they decided to move forward with the wedding, her younger sister, Ruth Ellen flew to California to help her drive back. The return trip took them through Las Vegas. When a casino operator asked for their driver’s license to prove they were old enough to enter, the older looking Ruth Ellen said she didn’t have hers with her. Elizabeth presented hers with the explanation, “She’s my older sister.” and they were both allowed to enter. They were good looking and quick thinking.
The first time I actually met Dom was at the wedding. We were standing shoulder to shoulder in the restroom when I introduced myself.
After graduation Ruth Ellen moved to California. She had earned her degree as an occupational therapist, and if memory serves me, she did an internship in California and decided to stay. She met Ken who was a few years older, and they married. They had a wedding reception for their Michigan family and friends on December 26, 1970. I recall the date because the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions that day by a score of 5 – 0. I missed the game to attend the reception.
I lived with Ruth Ellen, Uncle Jack, and Aunt Emma during my sophomore year at Western, so I looked to Ruth Ellen as my older sister. She broadened my college experience and I looked to her for advice. When she introduced me to Ken, I offered up some brotherly advice and I warned him that he “better take care” of Ruth Ellen, or he’d have me to deal with. So far, so good.
It’s been several years since I’ve seen the girls. Diane lives in Oregon, Elizabeth in Florida, and Ruth Ellen is still in California. They read my blog from time to time, and I believe they’re all in Florida today, so I wanted them to know that I’m thinking of them and love them like a brother.