Newhaven Court at Lindwood residents’ inspirational stories

GREENSBURG, Pa. - Feb. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- George and Evelyn Stairs quietly will celebrate Valentine’s Day together at Newhaven Court at Lindwood, reflecting on the past and looking to their future at the senior living community.

     The couple has been married 67 years. They’ve settled nicely into the routine at Lindwood. Their bond stretches back nearly seven decades and only grows stronger.

     “Being in the service brought us together more because I was away for so long,” said George Stairs, a World War II veteran who served in the legendary 442^nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team in Italy and France. “We shared the same ideas and same feelings. We got along really well. We dealt with our problems by taking them as they came and coming to a resolution.

     “We leaned on each other enough to where we became just one person.”

     A native of Norvelt, Westmoreland County, Stairs was a 1^st lieutenant who earned the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, European-African-Middle Eastern Service ribbon with four battle stars, two Unit Presidential ciatations and one Combat Infantry badge. He was part of four major battles: Rhineland; Po Valley; Appennine; and Rome-Arno.

     Evelyn was his inspiration and the “Rock” who supported him along the way.

     “George and Evelyn are inseparable. Their love for one another is evident,” said Jodi Wood, Regional Activities Director at Newhaven Court at Lindwood.

     The Valentine’s Day will present bittersweet memories for other Newhaven Court at Lindwood residents whose spouses have passed away.

·         Marguerite Marsiglio and her late husband Dominic had been married 66 years and resided at Newhaven Court at Lindwood together. “Our marriage was strong because we shared a lot of love and respect between us,” said Marguerite, who helped care for her husband at Lindwood. “You must always listen to each other and communicate well, come to the same conclusion. You must allow each other a say so and honor it.”

     Marguerite offered advice to young couples.

     “When fighting you must always end the day happy and not mad,” she said. “Appreciate one another. Have a marriage in which you work together.”

·         Donna Procious and her husband were married for 50 years. “We had five children,” she said. “That helped keep us together. Struggling to raise the kids and help them grow made our relationship stronger. Little fights are good too. If it’s not worth fighting for then why bother?”

·         Kitty Pro and her husband were married 69 years. “Love, honesty, and kindness are the most important traits to a strong marriage,” she said. “We got through hardship by talking to one another. It wasn’t always a bed of roses but nothing ever is. He was the father of my children and a wonderful provider.”

·         Vera Maxwell and her first husband were married 47 years. She eventually remarried and was wed for 16 years. “Stay together with love and endurance,” she said. “We got through bad times knowing that everyone’s life has good and bad times. I believed my husbands were God’s gifts to me and treated them as such. If something goes wrong you didn’t just give up, you fixed it. It’s easy to hate but hard to find love.”

·         Yvonne Anderson and her husband were married 57 years. “We stayed together and worked things out as they came to us,” she said. “If we had a problem we solved it. We didn’t give up and run away like kids do today. Life is what you make it. You give and you take, and you make it work.

     “We genuinely loved one another and enjoyed being in each other’s presence,” Yvonne continued. “Marriage is about communication, loyalty and respecting one another. I wouldn’t trade a single year of my marriage as those were the best years of my life.”

     The scenery outside Newhaven Court at Lindwood provides Yvonne a connection to her late husband.

     “I sit in the hallway here and stare out the window at the cherry tree,” she said. “I do this because the last photo ever taken of my husband and I together was in our backyard, under our cherry tree. So I sit there and look at that tree and remember that moment. It’s like he’s here. He was my life.”

     The Newhaven Court at Lindwood community has plenty of cherished memories and solid advice for the younger generation this Valentine’s Day.

For more information, contact Jodi Wood, Regional Activities Director, Newhaven Court at Lindwood, at jwood@integracare.com or 724.853.2505.