2008 anniversary couples

Diocese Honors 212 anniversary couples

By Tim Puet

Catholic Times

Whether they’ve been married for more than six decades or are comparative youngsters with 25 years as husband and wife, several of the couples attending this past weekend’s diocesan Jubilee of Anniversaries agree that a strong spiritual life and a successful married life go hand in hand.

“It’s absolutely important to recognize God as part of your marriage. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” said John Henterly of Columbus St. Mary Church. “My wife and I are ‘cradle Catholics’ who always felt it was important to marry someone of your own faith, and we’re happy we did.”

John and Barbara Henterly were the longest-married couple in attendance at the celebration Sunday, June 22, at Columbus St. Peter Church. Three other couples, married 69, 66 and 65 years respectively, were honored but were not in attendance.

Bishop Frederick Campbell was the celebrant and homilist for the event, which recognized more than 200 couples celebrating their 25^th, 30^th,, 35^th, 40^th, 45^th, 50^th, 55^th, or 60^th and longer anniversaries. More than half have been married 45 years or longer, with the largest single group, 39 altogether, celebrating their 50^th anniversary this year.

Marion St. Mary Church had the largest group of honorees, with 28 couples. Among them were Joseph and Pauline Schroeck, married 60 years.

“You do need some money and good things for a marriage to prosper, but you have to have something over and above materialism to really fulfill your life,” Joseph Schroeck said. “That’s faith and prayer. Keep your faith and don’t become materialistic, because God will always be there for you no matter what the circumstance.”

The Schroecks were an interfaith couple, with Pauline Schroeck being baptized as a Catholic after meeting her future husband in their hometown of Erie, Pa., where he attended Gannon and she went to Mercyhurst, both Catholic colleges.

Leonard and Janice Varacalli, married 45 years, were one of two couples making a round trip of more than 200 miles from Portsmouth St. Mary Church to the celebration.

“We saw a notice about the jubilee in the church bulletin and just thought coming here would be a nice and appropriate thing to do,” Janice Varacalli said. “It also helped that our son (Deacon Christopher Varacalli) was willing to drive us.”

“The Church is extremely important in our lives,” her husband said. “Everybody has their ups and downs, and I find the faith is a great consolation.”

The Varacallis also were an interfaith couple. “We met in Logan. W.Va., where I was a teacher and she worked for the telephone company,” Leonard Varacalli said. “We were part of a bunch of friends who all used to go to a drive-in restaurant.

“We began dating, and after a while, I asked her to go to church with me. She thought I was trying to indoctrinate her, so I just dropped the subject. Then one day, she said ‘Why don’t you ask me to go to church with you?’

“She started going, took instructions from our priest, as was the custom back then, and was baptized. After her baptism, she told me she felt she had just discovered something wonderful, and now she’s as strong in the faith as I am.”

“The Catholic Church is very important to my marriage,” said Rose Pasternack of Westerville St. Paul Church, who has been married to her husband, Steve, for 25 years. “Over the years, I have come to a deeper understanding of my faith and the Mass, the value of the sacrament of marriage, and the graces made available to us for the asking.”

She said that if a young couple were to ask her for advice about how to have a happy marriage, she would tell them, “Make God and your prayer to him your first priority, followed by your spouse. Don’t place anyone or anything else ahead of them.”

The couple obviously have passed their faith on to the next generation, since the two oldest of their four sons are students at the Pontifical College Josephinum. Steve Pasternack is president of BBC&M Engineers of Columbus.

He and Rose met at a college party in northern Ohio and were married in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake on May 21, 1983. “I remember that it was a sunny day after several Saturdays of rain. It was a day of sunny hearts for Steve and me, all smiles,” she said.

As in any marriages, some adjustments had to be made. “I am structured and make lists and schedules. Steve enjoys spontaneity and is more flexible,” Rose Pasternack said. “How do we handle this? After lots of discussions, trial and error, I believe we have come to a point of meshing these two ideas. We compromise and try to be more understanding of the other’s method.”

The Henterlys, with nearly four decades more of marriage than the Pasternacks, said much the same thing. “Somebody always has to have the final say about something, but that somebody isn’t always the same person,” Barbara Henterly said. “I make the little decisions, about 100 a year. He makes the big ones, about two a year.”

Perhaps the biggest of those decisions was to return to John Henterly’s hometown of Columbus from Washington after he retired from his position as one of six recorders of debates for the House of Representatives. He held that post for 12 years after a career as a court reporter in Detroit and Akron, where the couple were married on June 26, 1943.

“It was just so hot that day, and these were the pre-air conditioning days,” Barbara Henterly said. “My hair was wilting, everyone was perspiring, all those nasty things. I was attempting to be cool and charming, but it wasn’t easy.”

The couple have six children “so far,” John Henterly joked – one son and five daughters, along with 18 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and a ninth due in July. They grew up together in the North Hill section of Akron. John was on leave at the time of his wedding and served in the Army’s 30^th Division in Europe during World War II.

Joseph Schroeck was in the supply section of the Army Air Corps on Saipan during the war and met his future wife in the spring of 1946 after leaving the service and going to college with help from the GI Bill.

They settled in Marion after he was transferred there from Erie by the former General Telephone Co., now Verizon. She was a teacher and spent 23 years with mostly second- and third-graders at George Washington School in Marion. They have two daughters, two sons, 10 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

“Things aren’t always going to be great and problems will come up, but you’ve got to try and find a way to resolve them,” Joseph Schroeck said. “That’s why you should take the time to really get to know the person you’re going to marry, and don’t rush into anything.

“We waited about two years and that helped, but you never know what’s going to come up that causes a problem. You’ll have disagreements, but settle them before you go to bed at night.”

“I can’t say that idea always works,” Barbara Henterly said. “Sometimes the best thing is to just hold your temper and not say something you won’t regret because words hurt so much. When people in our house are angry, that means it’s very quiet.”

“We can get upset over the silliest things, stuff like how I organize my clothes, or my trimming the hedges or her running the sweeper at what seems like the wrong time,” Leonard Varacalli said. “Sometimes I can be pretty judgmental and she’s a lot more positive. I can get like the northbound end of a southbound mule.

“Each of us has to be pretty magnanimous sometimes. Really, it’s a simple thing for either of us to adjust to the other because we’ve been doing it for 45 years.”

The Varacallis were married in their West Virginia hometown on Aug. 3, 1963. They have two sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren. “I remember it was a very hot day, and I still recall how the hoops under my wedding dress flew almost over my head when I sat down,” Janice Varacalli said.

They lived in Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati before settling in Portsmouth about 30 years ago. Leonard was employed by the Bristol-Myers Squibb pharmaceutical company. Janice raised the family at home, then worked part-time for a few years at a Portsmouth department store.

Couples honored at this year's Jubilee included the following:

Blessed Sacrament, Newark

45^th, Bob and Barb Ghiloni

Church of the Ascension, Johnstown

50^th, Ray and Roxanne Hetterscheidt

Church of the Resurrection, New Albany

60^th, Joseph A. and Jeannette Janszen

50^th, Harry and Johanna Paulino

40^th, Walter and Eleanor Flack

35^th, Michael and Margaret Berdin

25^th, Ed and Melissa King

25^th, Paul and Emily Remaker

Holy Cross, Columbus

50^th, Warren and Carolyn Roberts

40^th, Frank and Judy Lageman

40^th, John and Anne Medert

35^th, Pat and Ann Sheridan

Holy Name, Columbus

25^th, Kevin and Jane Clark

Holy Spirit, Columbus

50^th, Ron and Mae Rooker

35^th, George and Kathleen Zimmerman

Immaculate Conception, Columbus

64^th, Robert and Clara Mahler

60^th, Louis and Mary Von Ville

50^th, Robert J. and Joann Ulliman

40^th, Robert and Marilynne Poirier

30^th, Marty and Anna Shuherk

Immaculate Conception, Dennison

35^th, Richard and Virginia Rimer

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Buckeye Lake

50^th, Ray and Pat Guinsler

Our Lady of Peace, Columbus

60^th, Louis E. and Helen J. Rehak

55^th, Don and Fran Colasurd

50^th, Dick and Rita O’Brien

40^th, Wayne and Mary King

40^th, Edward and Kathleen Price

30^th, Gary and Marie Bontempo

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City

50^th, Robert and Kathryn Griesenbrock

50^th, Michael and Jerry Wodarcyk

30^th, Gary and Joanne Lester

25^th, Richard and Charlene Seevers

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Columbus

25^th, Michael L. and Gloria C. Letang

Pope John XXIII, Canal Winchester

63^rd, John and Dorothy Coontz

40^th, Joseph and Susan McAndrews

Sacred Heart, Columbus

25^th, Tom and Andrea Roeble

Seton Parish, Pickerington

55^th, Larry and Dottie Van Orman

45^th, Bill and Rose Wright

40^th, William C. and Bernadine J. Kenny

35^th, Patrick and Martha Corcoran

30^th, William and Doris Pichick

Ss. Augustine & Gabriel, Columbus

45^th, Gary and Vera White Sr.

St. Agatha, Columbus

61^st, Norman and Priscilla Miller

55^th, Lawrence and Irene Feidner

50^th, Bill and Arlene Bockelman

40^th, Jim and Betsy Durbin

25^th, James and Janice Lowder

St. Agnes, Columbus

63^rd, John and Margaret Kulp

63^rd, Joseph and Hazel Tigyer

61^st, William and Maxine Gehring

61^st, Andrew and Bernadine Kaeppner

60^th, Gus and Rose Flichia

60^th, William and Mary Louise Gillivan

60^th, Anthony and Georgia Pulsinelli

50^th, Ben and Carole Nye

35^th, David and Cynthia Smith

35^th, William and Janet Wolfe III

St. Andrew, Columbus

63^rd, Pat and Mary Melaragno

60^th, Albert and Cecilia Devendra

55^th, Emery and Sylvia Lombardi

50^th, Erwin and Lorraine Gora

50^th, Jerome and Donna Haddox

50^th, C. Benjamin and Jeanne R. Meleca

50^th, James and Sarah Smith

50^th, Thomas and Marjorie Smurr

40^th, Stephen M. and Karen A. Egelhoff

40^th, Raymond and Kathleen Hinrichs

30^th, Mark and Patty Boll

25^th, John and Julie Poirier

St. Anthony, Columbus

66^th, George and Evelyn Foeller

62^nd, Jack and Nicki Frencho

50^th, Leonard and Patricia Santoro

45^th, William J. and Beverly H. Low

St. Bernadette, Lancaster

45^th, Ronald E. and Margaret H. Wolfinger

35^th, Patrick and Nora Agnes Gins

St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin

50^th, Frank and Joann DeSantis

35^th, Deacon Don and Julie Poirier

25^th, Tom and Kathy Corroto

25^th, Matthew and Nova Vulanich

St. Catharine, Columbus

40^th, Mike and Cathy Agriesti

40^th, Tom and Pat James

25^th, David and Jane Isaacs

St. Cecilia, Columbus

45^th, Howard L. and Carole D. Yeager Jr.

40^th, David and Pat Reedy

25^th, Daniel and Beverly Wiltshire

St. Christopher, Columbus

45^th, Thomas and Norma Eviston

25^th, John and Isabel Louis

St. Edward, Granville

45^th, Rick and Rosie Rieser

30^th, Eric and Pamela Soiu

25^th, Alex and Lisa Deak

25^th, Gregg and Barb Hinterschied

St. Francis de Sales, Newark

25^th, Paul and Marjorie Sindelar

St. James the Less, Columbus

55^th, Bernard and Eleanor Jackson

45^th, James and Joyce Coomes

45^th, Charles and Geraldine Nance

40^th, David and Anita Frickey

St. Joan of Arc, Powell

55^th, George and Dolores Stanko

45^th, Jerome and Barbara Schmitz

40^th, Edward and Judith Krol

40^th, Lawrence and Victoria Taylor

40^th, Robert and Vicki Vennemeyer

30^th, Thomas and Shirley Jensen

St. John Neumann, Sunbury

50^th, Robert and Mickey Ryan

35^th, Daniel and Jane Langton

St. John the Baptist, Columbus

25^th, Jeff and Margi Baker

St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus

42^nd, Basilio and Fe Foronda Riel

St. Joseph, Sugar Grove

50^th, Bob and Corky Deibel

St. Leonard, Heath

50^th, Nello and Lorraine Allori

50^th, Victor and Clare Pelletier

25^th, George and Theresa Jackson

St. Luke, Danville

69^th, Andrew and Mary Finta

65^th, Martin and Helen Thorp

60^th, Don and Janet Butts

60^th, Phillip and Elizabeth Hoffman

55^th, Michael H. and Regina A. Quinn

50^th, Ron and Helen Austin

50^th, Earl and Beatrice Colopy

50^th, Francis and Cora Durbin

50^th, Robert and Dianne Rupp

50^th, Ernest and Nancy Simmons

St. Margaret of Cortona, Columbus

54^th, Jack and Arlene Frost

St. Mark, Lancaster

55^th, Owen and Pauline Lefebure

St. Mary, Bremen

60^th, George and Joan Schmelzer

St. Mary, Delaware

45^th, John and Joyce Jackson

45^th, Anthony and Elizabeth Tankovich

30^th, Michael and Janet Conroy

St. Mary, Columbus

65^th, John and Barbara Henterly

25^th, Deacon Roger Minner and Mary Kelly

St. Mary, Groveport

50^th, James and Mary Getreu

St. Mary, Marion

63^rd, Floyd and Helen Angus

62^nd, George and Ann Shoup

60^th, Frederick and Elsie Berkshire

60^th, Joseph and Pauline Schroeck

60^th, Bernard and Agnes Thiel

50^th, Richard and Patricia Baldinger

50^th, Leonard and Mary Ann Bogan

50^th, James and Norma Dew

50^th, Frederick and Jo Ella Fosco

45^th, James and Margaret Daniel

45^th, James and Maureen Marske

45^th, Joseph and Lynne Metzger

45^th, Kent and Diana Morgan

40^th, Ken and Mary Belk

40^th, Art and Sandie Clouse

40^th, Barry and Teresa Hazlett

40^th, Michael and Mary Jane McNamara

40^th, Don and Sheila Roberts

40^th, Steve and Marilyn Roseberry

35^th, Bayani and Yolanda de los Reyes

35^th, Dale and Judy Rowland

35^th, Richard and Pam Schweinfurth

30^th, Ken and Carolyn Cusick

30^th, Kreig and P.J. Hitz

30^th, Jeffrey and Elaine Linardi

30^th, Wilfred and Kathy Thiel Jr.

30^th, Michael and Dolores Zentkovich

25^th, Jerry and Lane Lusenhop

St. Mary, Portsmouth

60^th, Ed and Dolores Mantell

45^th, Leonard and Janice Varacalli

40^th, Michael and Diana Malone

St. Matthew, Gahanna

63^rd, Van and Peggy Van Arsdale

61^st, Bill and Elaine Zapf

25^th, Jeffrey and Michele Meleragno

St. Matthias, Columbus

62^nd, Norman and Irene Orlaska

55^th, Clement and Virginia Pannella

55^th, Gus and Esther Rogers

35^th, Emeka and Doris Anyadoh

25^th, Lawrence and Patrice Bell

25^th, Tim and Sandy Doughty

St. Michael, Worthington

60^th, William and Eulalia Ruth

55^th, S. Donald and Joann Bundy

55^th, Jerry and Norma Hoheisel

50^th, Richard H. and Dolores L. Goetz

50^th, Gene and Donna Krajnak

45^th, Gerald and Jeanne Kraus

40^th, James R. and Maureen A. Ferega

35^th, Ron and Mary Jo Sobieski

30^th, Daniel and Catherine Myers

25^th, Joel and Ave Sofranko

St. Nicholas, Zanesville

50^th, Mike and Corinne Musselman

50^th, Tom and Judy Trott

St. Patrick, Columbus

25^th, Michael and Lisa Ely

St. Paul, Westerville

50^th, Paul and Marilyn Harnetty

40^th, George and Arminda Crawford

30^th, Ron and Linda Bayma

30^th, Michael and Margaret Lenaghan

25^th, Jim and Lori Kane

25^th, Jeffrey and Peggy Lowder

25^th, Steve and Rose Pasternack

25^th, Peter and Mary Beth Paul

25^th, Rick and Dee Shomo

St. Peter, Columbus

64^th, Robert and Joan Poirier

60^th, William and Joyce Anderson

50^th, Richard and Carol Mediatore

45^th, Charles and Barbara Murray

40^th, Eung and Kay Lee

40^th, Albert and Sandra S. Romano

35^th, Randy and Mary Sharp

30^th, John and Marcia Karnes

30^th, Michael and Joanne Murphy

25^th, Jeffrey and Michele Brown

St. Philip, Columbus

45^th, Tim and Helen Dineen

35^th, Domenico and Lynn Cervi

St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg

60^th, Joseph and Rachel Weisser

55^th, Charles and Lois Laskey

50^th, Vincent and Sally Lombardo

40^th, Ted and Martha Lemon

35^th, Michael and Rebecca D’Alesio

St. Timothy, Columbus

61^st, Walter and Mary Alice Nist

60^th, Robert and Marian Daines

55^th, Romolo and Lida Camela

25^th, Jeffrey and Candace Steigelman