Dean and Viola Cunningham anniversary, Lake Odessa, Barry County, Michigan

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DEAN & VIOLA CUNNINGHAM
[The Lakewood News, Tues., February 8, 1994, pg. 8]
SPECIAL LAKEWOOD VALENTINE SWEETHEARTS TALK ABOUT THEIR LIVES
TOGETHER...By Sharon B. Miller, Staff Writer

...Mr. and Mrs. Dean Cunningham
Married for 53 years, soon to be 54 on March 24, Dean and Viola
Cunnngham of Cunningham Road, Lake Odessa have shared a rich and busy
life together.

They first met in 1937 when Dean visited Zion Lutheran Church with a
friend.  Viola was already a member of the church.  Their first date
took place when they both attended Saturday Night Free Movies in
Woodland and Dean took her home.

Although it was 3 1/2 years before they would marry, Dean knew he had
found the girl of his dreams and asked Viola to marry him on their
second date.

"I said no, my mother would not approve," says Viola, then a sophomore
in high school.

They were married at Viola's mother's home right after graduation.  Her
mother wanted her to have a home wedding.

Dean was born in the home next door to where they now live and have
lived all but four years of their married life.  Dean had farmed the
land they now own as it was part of his grandparents' place.

Purchasing the grange building on M-50 was a logical move since Viola
was in the catering business.  Together they remodeled the building,
giving grange members the right to meet there.

"We've always worked together," says Viola.  When she ran a catering,
wedding and flower business, Dean was there to help out.  She helped out
when he ran the filling station.  When Dean worked for Wolverine
Livestock Company, Viola went along and drove in order to be with him.

While the Cunninghams had planned a nice quiet family dinner for their
50th wedding anniversary celebration, nieces and nephews decided that
was not to be the case.

"All you have to do is buy a new dress, Aunt Viola and see that Uncle
Dean gets a new suit." they were told.

"It was beautiful, held right on March 24th," says Viola.  "It was 70
degrees outside and we didn't just have a good time, we had a better
time!  Over 525 of our friends and relatives came to celebrate with us. 
We received over 1,000 cards.  We were so pleased with everything.  I
want to get out the cards again and look at them.  Everything was so
wonderful."

Since Viola has been ill, she has received many cards.  Zion Lutheran
Church and Grace Brethren Church (the church Dean grew up in) members
have been wonderful to them, says Viola.  "We have met a lot of caring
friends."

The two do send each other valentines to celebrate the season, sometimes
serious ones, but usually nonsense type of cards.  Says Viola, "a
marriage needs a bit of humor to keep things going."

When asked if he would do it (get married) all over again, Dean, 78,
says quietly, "I'd probably be foolish enough to do it again."  And,
there's a definite twinkle in his eye.

"Yes," says Viola, 74, "I think we'd probably do it again."


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