Bartlett couple renews vows after 63 years

John and Toni Kolnicki of Bartlett have been married for 63 years, but they still are affectionate, even in public.

At a wedding renewal service Friday at the Victory Centre of Bartlett senior residence, they couldn't resist kissing even before completing their vows.

It was a touching moment in a ceremony filled with sentiment and tradition, as eight couples reaffirmed their love and commitment before a room filled with residents and well wishers.

"We get a second chance to do this," said Lee Lowery of Schaumburg who celebrated 40 years of marriage to his wife, Leona.

When reflecting on their long marriage, both talked about the give and take in a lasting relationship. They say they still work to make it fulfilling.

"We listen to each other," Lee Lowery said, "and we care about each other."

The Rev. LeRoy Kennel, pastor of Christ Community Mennonite Church in Schaumburg officiated, while his wife, Pastor Pauline Kennel, accompanied the group on piano, and their daughter, Rita Lopienski, played violin.

Lopienski wore two hats at the service. When she wasn't playing music, she reverted back to event planner, in her role as director of resident programs at the Victory Centre.

The afternoon event had the look and feel of wedding. Each bride carried a bouquet of flowers as they processed in, and they stood before a white trellis decorated with flowers and wedding bells.

Guests heard scripture readings and a meditation delivered by Kennel, and sang the wedding hymn, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore thee," by Beethoven.

"This is a celebration," Kennel said, "of two people being loyal to each other, without hesitation, and without end."

To underscore that message, he used what he called Quaker style vows, which had been boiled down to their simplest form.

Before each couple, he asked them merely to recite, "I promise to be your faithful (spouse), as long as life shall last."

One of the youngest couples in the room, in terms of their married years, was Harrison and C.K. Knapp of Schaumburg, who were celebrating 25 years as husband and wife.

The couple had met at a social in Texas. After a little more than a year of dating, they married. At the time, C.K. Knapp says, she was 38, and it was her first marriage.

Even 25 years later, she had the look of a bride, wearing an ivory colored hat and fingertip veil, contrasting with her deep purple knee-length gown.

"We renew our vows every five years, though it's usually at church," Harrison Knapp said. "And each year, we sit down and re-evaluate where we're at -"

His wife, just like any long-married spouse, jumped in to finish his sentence.

"- And luckily each year," she said, "we've agreed it's a good thing."