Vernon couple about to share 65th Valentine's Day

Alfred and Mary Peczka in 2012 at their Vernon home of 53 years. Photo by Steve Smith.

Alfred Peczka's family moved in next door to Mary's family in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and it was practically love at first sight. The day they met was in 1942.

“She was 18 and I was 19,” said Alfred, adding that for three years of their four-year courtship, he was in active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II. “When I was discharged, we got married,” he said.

The couple tied the knot on April 27, 1946, and are about to celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary in the same house on Bancroft Road in Vernon that they moved into together in 1959. Alfred, a retired Pratt & Whitney machinist, and Mary, a life-long stay-at-home mom, have had three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“The kids loved it as soon as we moved in,” Mary said. “It was a good place for the kids to grow up.”

Alfred recalled that he and his children used to routinely walk into downtown Rockville to enjoy the shops like Woolworth's and the parks, and they used to go sledding from their backyard all the way to Vernon Avenue, before the apartment complex was put in. “Times have changed a lot,” he said.

Nowadays, the Peczkas enjoy the Vernon Senior Center and the occasional day trips with their family. Over the years, the Peczkas said they have lived a relatively simple life, enjoying each other and their family. They have been lucky to avoid illness and any major challenges (although their son did lose his first wife and has since re-married). They also said they owe part of their marriage's length to not letting any minor challenges become larger ones.

“In the beginning, we didn't have money,” Mary said, “but that didn't bother us. We got along.”

“What she lacked, I had, and what I lacked, she had,” Alfred said, “so we got along well.”

“When we got married, it was just expected that you stay together,” Mary said. “We didn't know too many people who got divorced. Also, we outlived a lot of people. I think it's just a matter of if you can live long enough.”

Humbly, the Peczkas said they owe that longevity largely to luck. “I think we have good genes, too,” Mary said, adding that all four of their parents lived at least well into their 80s.

They have also gotten their share of exercise. “We used to go polka-dancing every weekend, and we'd walk up and down these hills all the time, and play with the kids,” Mary said.

“And chasing her around the house,” Alfred added.

The Peczkas said they are often asked about the secret of their long marriage. “You never go to sleep being mad,” Alfred said. “Everybody argues, because you don't have the same ideas on everything.”

“People ask for advice, but I don't give it,” Mary said.

“There's no formula,” Alfred said. “Everybody's different.”