Phyllis and Bob on their wedding day.
Bob and Phyllis Matteo have been married for 66 years and they shared their story with me for an audio memoir. It was fun to interview them as a couple. I wanted to share a little bit of their story in honor of Valentine’s Day.
On the south side of Chicago in 1947 Phyllis was working at a five and dime when Bob walked in. When he saw her he thought, “My gosh, she’s a pretty good-looking gal.” A few days later Phyllis skipped school and Bob called her at home. Phyllis recalls, “He said he was the truant officer. I believed him because I was so gullible. Then I realized of course, it was just a prank.” Bob asked her out for a double date.
Phyllis: “I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing, because I didn’t know him for beans. But Bob was so funny that he made me relax about it all. He brought along a toy billy club and toy handcuffs, so if he got out of control I could straighten him out. That just made me laugh. He was a real cut-up when he was young. Full of fun.”
That was the beginning of Bob and Phyllis. Here are some of their thoughts on marriage.
Phyllis: You go into marriage because you love each other. But then love changes. It’s not always the hot love that you go into marriage with. Life changes and if you don’t change with it…
Bob: We’re like a couple of old souls. We’ve always loved each other. You have your fights, disagreements. It’s part of going through this. Give and take. Compromise and reasonable behavior with money. I think it takes a wise person to live a good life.
Phyllis: It’s been a good life. When you’ve been together for 66 years it’s gotta show some stick–to–it-iveness.
Thank you Bob and Phyllis for sharing your story. I wish you many more happy years together.
Do you have a story of how you met your someone special? Share in the comments below.