Family Get-Together Marks 4 Anniversaries

Shirley and Howard Horlick are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary over Labor Day weekend with a three-day Mexican cruise.

Though many couples go all out for their golden anniversary, the Horlicks’ celebration is unusual because they marked the occasion with their three sons, who have all reached marriage milestones.

As Shirley and Howard toasted five decades of wedded bliss, their sons and daughters-in-law raised a glass in their own right: son Robert and his wife, Laura, celebrated their silver anniversary; son Terry and his wife, Terrie, marked their 21st anniversary; and son Jay and his wife, Peggy, commemorated 16 years of marriage.

Although a cruise wasn’t her first choice for a celebration (because of a previous stomach-churning battle with sea sickness), Shirley said she’d weather the storm for the sake of the family.

“It’s not where we go,” she said. “It’s being together that really matters.”

And what has kept Howard and Shirley together for so long? “Learning to compromise, considering the other person and honoring your commitment,” she said.

It is a commitment Howard and Shirley made when they were just kids growing up in the same Chicago neighborhood.

Looking back, Shirley can’t recall the exact moment when Howard popped the question. “It was just understood that someday we would be married,” she said. “Either we were going to get married or break up.”

The love pact was sealed Aug. 24, 1947, in a simple ceremony at Park Manor in Los Angeles, a popular place for weddings at the time.

“It hasn’t been easy over the years,” Shirley said. “There were plenty of times when we both wanted to throw in the towel. But in the long run, it is worth it.”