Family first: Matzkes celebrate 65 years, continue to pass on kindness

It's unknown what Ed Matzke used for bait 65 years ago, but whatever it was, it worked, for he reeled in Bessie.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

At any rate, this couple from Marion, N.D., celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this summer.

This also is the couple who love their six children, 15 grandchildren, three great-grandsons and fishing, but you'll have to check with them in which order.

OK, nothing tops their family. But fishing is right in there.

"Fishing still is a priority for Bessie, while Ed still maintains his supervisory position," Nicole Powers, Valley City, N.D., their granddaughter, says.

This also is the couple who apparently have the most wonderful mail carrier in the world.

And they also have an absolutely marvelous tree stump in their yard. It's a stump which grows money.

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Some background:

Ed is a native of Marion while Bessie is from Dickey, N.D. When they met, Ed just knew Bessie was the one. So he went into action, or, as Bessie puts it, "Grampa came sparkin'."

They were married in the old church parsonage in Marion in 1940.

Ed was a lifelong railroad man, so he and Bessie lived in a number of communities, including Glendive, Mont., Edgeley, N.D., and Jamestown, N.D. But when they retired, they settled down in his hometown.

They're into gardening big time; they've had up to 50 tomato plants to tend.

"Their garden continues to flourish, so we all reap the benefits of their labor," Nicole says.

Bessie, 83, has always loved cooking and baking, and is still at it. She routinely turns out buns, bread, cookies and bars. She cans and freezes food like crazy, too: tomatoes, beans, pickles, beets, corn - she and Ed froze 51 quarts of sweet corn this year.

Besides all this, Bessie usually cooks Sunday dinner for 10 to 15 family members once or twice a month.

This is the gal who once had two shirts, one of which read "What would Martha (Stewart) do?" while the other read "Martha doesn't live here."

Ed, 89, continues to maintain the yard and the house "with a little help from Bessie," Nicole says. Always, they are ready to help their neighbors with yardwork, with extra garden produce, even with dog-sitting.

Ed and Bessie still go deer hunting with their family, too.

But fishing remains their joy, in both the summer and winter. They have two favorite fishing spots. One is the Sheyenne River in Valley City. The other is near the James River, but that's all anybody can tell you because as Nicole puts it, "They won't spill their secret spot."

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Although their anniversary was Aug. 3, their family threw a party for them in July; it drew more than 100 friends and family members.

Grandpa and grandma "continue their influence in all of our lives," Nicole says. "Everyone is greeted with a hug and kiss and we all say goodbye the same way.

"The constant reminder of 'family first' is a legacy we will live with forever. They are the true meaning of love and family."

Nicole's two boys, ages 10 and 5, and a 2-year-old great-grandson of the Matzkes from Bismarck are on the receiving end of much of that love. And it shows up in grandpa and grandma's mailbox.

When the boys come to visit, they always check that mailbox. Somehow, it always has candy, pop, maybe a small toy in it. "My kids think they have an awesome mailman in Marion," Nicole says.

Well, then, how about grandpa's tree stump? Believe it or not, the boys continually find quarters stuck in its cracks. It's simply amazing how that old stump grows money like that.

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So, then, here's to a couple who beautifully demonstrate marital commitment over the long haul, which in their case now stretches more than 65 years.

And while they can be kidded about their love of fishing, in fact it's clear they put each other and their family first.

For this fishing couple, that's no line.

If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, N.D. 58107; fax it to 241-5487; or e-mail blind@forumcomm.com