Les (Wiley) White met Marian McConnell on a blind date. His brother was dating her sister. Les liked Marian, but he was going with someone else at the time.
“She was just nice and I liked her,” Les said. “She was pretty.”
The couple began dating. In the mid-1950s, skating was the popular thing to do in Everett.
“Everyone went roller-skating,” Les said. He and Marian were no exception.
Les and Marian enjoyed music, too. “Jailhouse Rock” and “Rock Around the Clock” were particular favorites at the time.
The couple kept going out and appreciated what they had in common. They had similar likes and dislikes.
Les was in the Coast Guard Reserves. He decided to ask Marian if she would marry him.
“She put up a fight,” Les said.
But not for long.
Les and Marian White of Everett will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends.
The couple were married Oct. 19, 1956, in Everett.
To build a strong marriage, Les says, couples have to have things in common and be able to get through the hills and valleys that come their way.
“It takes a lot of give and take,” Les said.
The last 50 years have gone by incredibly fast for Les. He and Marian have three children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Les describes Marian as nice and outgoing. She’s been a great wife and mother, he said.
“She’s Irish, so she has a mind of her own,” he said.
Les is a contractor and goes out of state a lot. Marian would go on trips with him. The couple have seen most of the country together. The Pacific Northwest is their favorite place.
Everyone has their ups and downs in any marriage, Les said.
“But it’s worked out really good for us,” Les said. “She’s been my anchor for everything.”
For information on Love Story and Celebrations, call Christina Harper at 425-339-3491 or e-mail harper@heraldnet.com.
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