Red Sox Nation Romance Goes the Distance

Mom and Dad's Story

My Mother and Father were married for 42 years before my Mom passed away from Cancer.   They adored each other.  How they met was always something my Dad would tease my Mom about.   Her cousin was one of my Dad’s best friends, but they had never met.  After World War II my Dad came home. Both he and my Mom worked in Bath, Maine at the iron works shipping factory. 
  My Mom worked there during the war making gas masks and my Dad worked there building ships.   They were both from Berlin, NH and still not knowing each other, they went home on the same weekend. My Mom's cousin came to visit his Aunt and Uncle, my grandparents, and brought his friend with him.   He introduced my Dad to his Aunt, Uncle and cousin Doris, my Mom, who was ironing shirts.  She got a little flustered, and missed ironing one sleeve on a shirt.  My Dad told her she needed to learn how to iron if she was going to marry him some day!  Well within a year they did marry! They also went to Fenway Park on their honeymoon and saw three games!!  We gave our Dad a “Fenway Brick” for his birthday this year.   The inscription on it is “Edwin and Doris Labbe, Honeymoon at Fenway, May 1947” I have three wonderful sisters and we have wonderful childhood memories as they were great parents!  Dad has never had a relationship with anyone else as he said he had met the love of his life, and would wait to see her again someday, and there was no need to look for anyone else.  It has been 23 years since my Mom died and he is now 86 and is as sharp today as he was 40 years ago! 

 My Story

After I graduated from high school I moved to Waterbury and started working at the State Hospital.   There I met three women who were sisters.   They were quite the characters and were always playing practical jokes on each other and fellow co-workers.   I became friends with them all, but closest to JoAnn.   She and I worked together quite a bit.  They all had wonderful voices and sang beautifully.   The oldest sister spoke about how excited their mother was as their baby brother was coming home from Vietnam!  He was going to be staying back home with his mother.   The middle sister referred to him as ‘JC’ which was short for ‘Jesus Christ’ because she was sure he could walk on water,at least according to their mother!  So, one evening after work JoAnn insisted that we go to the Park Restaurant so I could meet Tommy her baby brother whom she adored!!!  She thought we would hit it off, and she was right.   Even though this was a snowmobile night with the boys, we did meet at the restaurant and he proceeded to explain that he had just gotten home from 4 years of military life and was not going to settle down. I also explained that I had just graduated from high school and the last thing I wanted to do was get married!!!  Well, our relationship did become quite serious and we married the following July.   That was 40 years ago and two children later.   That is how I met the love of my life!