Country Boy & Country Girl Move To The Big City

48 years ago a young IBM employee and a Mary Fletcher Medical Secretary were in the process of moving what few belongings they had to a furnished $65 a month apartment located across from The Champlain Valley Fairgrounds. That house with a second story apartment was later to be torn down and replaced with a McDonald's Fast Food Restaurant. Yup!! Henry Raymond and Maryann Hoben were going to be married on September 3, 1960 and decided to move to Essex Junction. We put a fresh coat of paint on the walls amid the sounds of The Champlain Valley Fair across the way. The Fair Grounds at that time were much larger as the Mall across the way only had a few stores. We both rode to work with other people as we kind of wanted to save our 1947 Chrysler for the weekend treks to Fairfax.

City life for both of us was not meant to be, so the next spring we ended moving back to Fairfax and lived in the little house, now owned by Ed Paquin, next door to Maryann's parents, where our oldest daughter was born on July 23, 1961. I had moved to Fairfax in 1953 and Maryann was born here in Fairfax. She did live during the week with a group of girls in an apartment on College Street for a short while after she graduated from High School and started work at the Mary Fletcher Hospital, but she missed her home town and moved back home after a short while.

On September 3, 1960, we were married by Father Francis Hickey just about where the meat counter is now at what is now The Steeple Market. Our wedding reception was held at BFA Fairfax in what is now known as The Old Gym. Nothing had been added at the school at that time since the school was rebuilt after the fire that destroyed the original building. By the way, besides making my wife's wedding dress and the dresses of her attendants, Maryann's mother also made the wedding cake and prepared most of the meal for the 300 or so guests that attended the wedding reception. She received help in serving the meal from the Ladies of St. Luke's Sodality. Music was provided by one of my IBM friends who had a 4-piece band and charged me $30 if I remember right, with him, not charging me anything as his wedding present to us.

We left on our wedding trip that afternoon for Quebec City, spending our wedding night at a roadside motel in Sherbrooke. Motel cost was a hefty $10. Maryann still suspects that I married her for her money of course. She had $87 in her savings account and that is what we used to go on our wedding trip. We were able to be gone 3 days on that $87.

Forty-eight years later we are able to look back and be thankful for a wonderful 48 years that has blessed us with 3 wonderful girls, a great son-in-law and 2 great grandsons. We are very fortunate to have been able to enjoy over 16 years of retirement so far. We also both give thanks for our wonderful parents who provided so much love to us during their lifetime: