Three long-married couples renew their vows once again

The Bartlett Victory Centre recently played host to several couples who pledged to love, honor and cherish one another … again.

The senior couples proved to be young at heart and still very much in love when they renewed their vows. The Rev. LeRoy Kennel of Schaumburg officiated the service, which included music, flowers and cake.

A few of the "new" newlyweds took a trip down memory lane to recall exactly how their love stories began.

Milly and Dick Fricke, 57 years

Dick Fricke was getting his mechanical engineering degree on the GI Bill when he met wife-to-be Milly in 1948, in an elevator at school.

"He was with a group of other Bradley University students and I was the only girl," says Milly, who was then attending the nearby St. Francis School of Nursing.

"They were talking about a dance that particular evening."

Milly, 78, and Dick, 81, shared a dance that night, but didn't see one another again for a couple of months.

"Then a classmate set me up on a blind date and unbeknownst to me, it was my prospective husband," Milly says. "I guess it was meant to be."

The couple, who live in Elgin, had three children and retired 15 years ago. Milly worked as a diabetes educator at Sherman Hospital and Dick at Fermilab.

"We just love retirement," she says. "We're traveling and love clubs and have many friends. We're not rocking-chair retirees."

Trudy and Ernest Reynolds, 62 years

Trudy and Ernest Reynolds attended the same church in Elkhart, Ind., back in the early 1940s.

Ernest, 82, was preparing to go into the service when he and Trudy had their first date -- a performance featuring Russian dancers.

"It was unique, that's for sure," said Trudy, 83. "We started going together."

Ernest, who served overseas in the European Theatre, asked Trudy to wait for him when he joined the Army.

"I said no," Trudy recalls.

But Trudy changed her mind at the bus station when she saw Ernest off for basic training.

"I decided I was going to wait," she says. "I surprised myself because I didn't think my feelings were that strong for him -- but they were."

The Reynolds had two children and live in Bartlett.

"We thought it'd be nice to renew our vows," Trudy says. "It's been a wonderful 62 years."

Victor and Eileen Wilnewic, 50 years

Victor and Eileen Wilnewic met on a blind date.

"A guy in the Marine Corps with me was married to a gal that worked at the same bank as my wife," says Victor. "He said to her, 'I know just the guy for you.'"

But before their date, Victor, 77, saw another girlfriend at a tavern first.

"Yeah, I had two dates in one night," he said.

He met up afterward with Eileen, 72, and ended the night with a kiss.

"She said that wasn't appropriate the first time you meet someone," Victor said. "She told me I should have just said 'Good night.'"

The Bartlett couple, who have two sons and a daughter, decided to renew their vows since 2008 marks their golden anniversary.

Victor played the jokester, of course.

"I had my fingers crossed behind my back," says Victor. "I like to kid around. It's good to laugh once in a while."