Jack Rogers and Geraldine “Gerry” Peterman Rogers began their 75-year love story on Nov. 11, 1945 at an Armistice dance in their hometown of Midland, Michigan. The young couple were a mere 16 and 17 years old at the time.
Jack, now in his nineties, can no longer recall the song that they shared their first dance to, but he remembers his then soon-to-be bride with great detail.
“I saw her sitting across the hall from me, about 40 feet away,” said Jack. “My eye was drawn to her — she looked different than the other girls, she had no lipstick or other make-up on and none was needed, her natural wholesome beauty came from within.”
Jack was not the only one at the dance that night who was smitten at first glance.
“Well Mom shooed her friends away so he would see her sitting there all by herself, didn’t you Mom” said the eldest of their five children, daughter Cindi Reutzel. “And it worked,” she chuckled.
Gerry replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “well yeah.”
“After that night, we never dated anyone else,” said Jack.
The couple were joined in marriage on Sept. 26, 1947 and a few years later, and with new baby Cindi in tow, they loaded up their 1937 International school bus and relocated from their hometown in Michigan to a farm in Shook, Missouri.
“We didn’t have any electricity for about two years,” said Jack. He recalled it was probably around three more years before they had indoor plumbing.
“Mom said she was a city girl, she was used to having electric and indoor plumbing,” said Cindi.
When asked how long it took for Gerry to adapt to moving into such a rural area without the basic amenities she was used to, Gerry replied softly, ”not too long,” to which Jack quickly added with a laugh, “about 70 years.”
Many of the now-antique items from their past are on display in a room that is utilized for family dining and gathering.
“This is a treadle machine,” Jack said, as he shuffled to the corner of the room. “This was her wood burning cook stove,” he said as he opens a door at the top of the light blue stove, “this is what they call a warming oven, so if the men we’re out in the field or working — it would keep their food warm,” said Jack proudly.
“Even in the summertime I had to uses that wood stove to iron,” said Gerry.
“Have you ever seen one of these, this is a gas powered (clothing) iron,” said Jack.
The old fashioned cook stove the couple once prepared meals on for their five children now sits in the gathering area and the couple says they still use it during holidays and family gatherings.
Life has handed them many roles throughout the years of their marriage, but the one constant has been the love and respect they have for one another. “We were always best friends, we would rather be with each other than anyone else,” said Jack.
In 1949 Jack became an ordained minister, leading the congregation of the Community Church of Christ, which he still leads to this day. “We’re non-denominational,” said Jack. “She (Gerry) was our general secretary.”
Gerry also worked as a teacher at Yokum school. Jack did many other things to support his growing family throughout the years.
“I started out working in a factory, later on I switched to a construction company where I worked as a carpenter, then I became a general superintendent for a company called Memorial Mausoleums, we worked in nine states,” said Jack.
“And he left me at home,” said Gerry, in a disapproving tone.
“I came home on the weekends and she would tell me what the boys had done and I was missing out on that, so we decided we didn’t want to do that anymore,” said Jack.
So they decided to embark on yet another adventure together and open a Texaco station in the small town of Dexter, Missouri so Jack would not be missing out on his family.
The couple ran the fueling station for over 20 years, “It was there where the Dodge place is now,” said Jack. “There wasn’t a Walmart there then either,” he said teasingly.
After retiring from the fuel station the couple took on the task of running a chicken farm. “They were in their middle sixties still walking the length of those five-buildings,” said Cindi.
“Well, we were blessed with good health until we were in our middle eighties,” said Jack. “We worked a lot up until then — we don’t now.”
“If anyone has earned a rest they have,” said Cindi proudly.
Jack has been working on his memoirs, part of which he intends to gift to his loved ones during the celebration of their 75th wedding anniversary.
“So many young people today — they don’t know what they are missing by choosing not to commit,” said Jack.