Because he knew he would be going overseas after he finished radio school the following spring, we planned to be married Dec. 21, 1952, the very day he was to arrive home. The wedding was planned for 3 p.m. in the EUB Church in Bern.
His mother, brother and his wife would meet the train, which was to be a "special through train" at Topeka.
Outside of Hutchinson, the train struck a car, which delayed the train (and we didn't have any room for delay). Then, the word was that the train would stop, not at Topeka, but at Ottawa Junction.
Gaylord's sister-in-law was left at Topeka and his brother and mother went to Ottawa Junction. Then they were notified that Gaylord had been left off at Emporia. So brother and mother went to Emporia, stopped at Topeka to pick up his sister-in-law and on to Bern.
In the meantime, at Bern the wedding had been postponed, first to 3:30 p.m., then to 5 p.m. and finally, whenever the groom would arrive.
In a small town like Bern, everyone turns out for events.
Some people told me they had dressed three times to come to that wedding. The minister would post a notice on the church door with every change of time. My bridesmaids and I spent our time playing Monopoly.
The wedding finally began at 8. By the time the wedding was over, it was beginning to snow. We left Bern around 11 p.m., and it was snowing hard. We finally reached our destination, which was a rented cottage on East 6th Street in Topeka, at 5 a.m. and I had to be at work at Santa Fe Railway at 8 a.m. (Since I hadn't worked long I was allowed one day off and had decided to make that the day Gaylord returned to California.)
We finally got married, but we never did get a honeymoon.
