NEWS: Appalachian News-Express, Pike Co, Ky, marriage of Wilson & Bentley ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net Submitted by Gloria Rose Apr 1999 ********************************************************************* April 18, 1999 A hillbilly hitchin' Pikeville Shriner and local gal 'tie the knot' mountain style Nothing beats love in the mountains. That's why 50-year-old Coty Wilson, a dedicated Shriner who lives at Myers Towers in Pikeville, and 42-year-old Kathy Bentley, also of Myers Towers, tied the knot in the Pikeville City Park gazebo on Friday -- in front of hillbilly clans from all over the nation. "It's just more relaxed," said bride-to-be Bentley on Thursday. "There's nothing fancy or dress-up about it. Plus all my family was going to be here." Bentley said she and Wilson decided to marry in the park after Bentley's sister, Judy Smerigan of Trenton, Mich., suggested the idea. "I thought, 'Why not?,'" Bentley said, adding that her father and sister attended Hillbilly Days for the first time last year. After all, the bride and groom wouldn't have to shop for fancy clothes or pay big bucks for a caterer. And they wouldn't even have to hunt for a band. "This is a good time to do it," said Wilson's mother, JoCleta Wilson of Louisville. "I mean, who could have a bigger crowd for a wedding? They've got two bands. And talk about catering. If you don't like elephant ears you can get a blooming onion." Clad in overalls, flannel and a felt hillbilly hat, Bentley walked down the aisle to a banjo player's rendition of "Here Comes the Bride." Her father, Willard A. Rohloff of Dearborn Heights, Mich., gave her away with a hearty, "I do, I do and I'm happy, too!" "This is great," Rohloff said before the wedding. "It's about time. I think she's picked the right man." Bentley said this wedding has been far more blessed than her first, which ironically began when she ran away at 14 with the Kentucky boy from next door. "My first husband was from here but his family had moved to Michigan," Bentley said. "When they moved in my parents thought, 'There goes the neighborhood.' It was like the Beverly Hillbillies. They drove a different car every week and the car they'd bought the week before was pushed off in the back yard. There were like 10 of 'em living in one house. "My family was not happy when I ran away to get married." While Bentley's first marriage ended in divorce 18 years ago, it brought her to Pike County, where she met future hillbilly husband Wilson about a year and a half ago. Wilson, who had moved to Pikeville from Louisville to be near his doctor, said he feels the union is meant to be. "I was hit by a car when I was 16," he said. "And I have violent seizures from time to time. Kathy has epilepsy and she also has seizures. So we know what to expect from each other." Bentley said she met Wilson at Myers Towers shortly after he was released from a nursing home, where he'd received medical attention after having a seizure. "I knew he'd been sick and I asked him if I could help him put his groceries away," she said. "We've been together ever since." JoCleta Wilson said she's glad her son, who has never married, has found someone who cares so much about him. "She seems like a very nice person," Wilson said. "They can take care of each other now." With Smerigan serving as matron of honor, and her husband Richard taking on the duties of best man, Wilson and Bentley made an emotional promise to be true to each other while other loved ones, such as Wilson's sister, Lynn Diebold of Louisville; Wilson's friend, Shirley Compton of Kimper; and the youngest of Bentley's three grown daughters looked on in hillbilly attire. The only thing missing from the day were a few loved ones, like Bentley's mother from Michigan, and Wilson's 95-year-old grandmother from Louisville, who could have contributed to the party with her line-dancing skills if she'd been able to make the long trip. "She could really have cut a rug," JoCleta Wilson said. Just like the rest of the crowd. By Alicia Carmichael Staff Writer