'Til death do us part

I just love her very much and always have. I bring her breakfast from the dining room every morning, because I know she likes it and I want her to be happy.”

Bernard Griffin, Husband

Love has kept them together. No, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Bernard and Eleanor Griffin, married Aug. 25, 1950.

“There were times we had some problems, but not too much,” said Bernard, 91.

When Eleanor, 89, was asked how the couple has not killed each other over the course of nearly seven decades, she joked, “there were times….”

But, she confessed a deep love for her husband.

“He has been real good to me. He’s never laid a hand on me.”

Bernard’s love is just as deep as the day they were wed, he said.

“I’ve always loved her to death. She has always been so good to me. She is always doing little things for me. Today she said, ‘Come over here. Your collar is out.’ Little things like that. She is a wonderful wife.”

The two, lifelong Catholics, said their faith has helped smooth over any rough patches in their marriage.

“I think so,” Eleanor said.

Still, they still quarrel from time to time.

Bernard bought her a dress in downtown Port Townsend he thought she would be lovely in, and had hoped she would wear it for their anniversary.

“I can’t get her to wear it,” he said.

“It is too hot.” she retorted.

“See? We argue,” he said with a chuckle.

Bernie and Eleanor Griffin are residents at Avamere at Port Townsend.

“When Bernie told me that it was going to be their 69th wedding anniversary, I knew I wanted to help them make it special,” said Lois Jasmer, community relations director for Avamere at Port Townsend. “I wanted to celebrate the commitment of this couple.”

Avamere at Port Townsend staff, residents, and the couple’s friends and family celebrated this milestone in their marriage with an anniversary party Aug. 25.

A good life

Bernie and Eleanor met at a dance in Canada where Eleanor lived and Bernie was visiting while on a break from Seattle University.

“My friend took me to a dance in Canada, and he gave me a choice between two gorgeous women, a redhead and a blonde,” Bernie said. “I chose the blonde.”

Little did Bernie know his choice would be the start of a lasting relationship. But, the marriage almost didn’t happen.

“I was up in Fairbanks working, and I got this letter from her,” Bernard said.

It said, “Bernard I am disallowing the engagement because your mother came up and told my mother that if I went to Alaska I would be nothing but an alcoholic.”

Bernie couldn’t take “No” for an answer, and got on the next plane for Seattle. From there, he caught a bus to Vancouver, British Columbia and arrived unannounced at her parent’s house.

“They should have kicked me out of there. Anyway, they told me she had quit her job and was at a girlfriend’s house.”

He went to a phone booth and called Eleanor.

“I hear you are looking for a job?” Bernie asked.

She didn’t know it was him on the line, he said.

“She said, ‘Yes I am. I said, well I’ve got one for you. Then I told her who I was. She came over and it took me about three days to convince her to marry me.”

Each day, Bernie took her to lunch and extolled the benefits of marrying him.

“I had a good job up at Fairbanks. I was a chef at a golf and country club. We would do fine. Finally she agreed to marry me. But, I couldn’t get married in a Catholic Church because you have to wait four weeks.”

Instead, they were wed by a Canadian magistrate.

“When we signed the marriage certificate, I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve married a teenager.’”

After the marriage ceremony, the two had a party at her mother’s house.

“Then we went on a honeymoon for one week,” Bernie said.

After the honeymoon, Bernie returned to Alaska. Eleanor had to wait a month to follow while her immigration paperwork was completed.

A short time later, Bernie purchased a pie bakery unbeknownst to his wife, who was three months pregnant at the time.

They enjoyed running the bakery together, and according to Bernie, Eleanor made the best meringue in the state.

Initially, the two served almost 100 pies a day. Then the local Air Force base came with a proposition to provide pies. They needed 200 the next day.

“We made the pies that night and got them all done,” Bernie said. “A friend of mine at the big baker’s shop took them out there for me.”

The little shop thrived. After about a year, the couple decided to sell it and move to the Seattle area where Bernie became a federal meat inspector at the World’s Fair.

Bernie said he worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week in that capacity.

“I was in charge of the food circus. There were probably about 30 shops there that sold different types of food. I was in charge of inspecting them everyday. Then I had to go up to the Space Needle and check the Space Needle every day.”

This job was full of great memories for Bernie, including a chance meeting with Elvis Presley in a hallway during his shoot of “It Happened at the World’s Fair.”

Bernie later became the import inspector for the Port of Seattle. He retired from that position in about 1990. The couple moved to Port Townsend a couple of years ago.

“I think we’ve had a wonderful life,” Bernie said.