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Sunday, September 17

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Cerwin and I chose this location for our celebration, because this is where we had our wedding reception 60 years earlier.

In 1963 this was called Hostetter’s Banquet Hall. Hostetter’s had been the place to have church functions, weddings, sports banquets, club meetings or anniversary dinners from the 1950’s through the mid-1980’s.

The Gathering Place was established in 1986 when Jim and Joanne Pinkerton purchased the Hostetter Dining facility in Mount Joy.

The following photos are a combination of shots taken by me and our daughter Deb.

We were expecting our family (siblings, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren) and wedding party to arrive between 12 and 12:30 pm, so Cerwin and I arrived about 11:30 am to set up three display tables.

This represented the time we spent serving with TFC.

This one told about Cerwin’s forty years as a truck driver with Myer’s Metered Gas (Ferrellgas today).

When Joanne Pinkerton came to show me a cake she decorated for the occasion, I asked Deb to get our picture.

She, Jim and their staff blessed us by going over the top with the facility, food and food service.

This display honored our two grandchildren (Hannah and Elijah) who were spending our anniversary in Heaven.

There was also a display to honor our grandparents, parents and wedding party who went on to Heaven ahead of us, including Don and Kathy Fellenbaum who could not be there due to his Huntington’s Disease.

Our marriage certificate, a 25th Anniversary photo, also a teddy bear and pillow that were made out of our wedding clothing.

People began arriving just before noon. There were lots of smiles and hugs.

Cerwin, Josh and me.

Jere and Zach

Josh, Jeff, and Jordan

Welcoming Elaine Rohrer (Kermit’s widow). He was a groomsman. It has been several years since we saw her.

Jesse, Bridget, Josh, Jordan, Ian and Nichole

Steve, Brenda and Kristen looking at scrapbooks.

Jordan, Nichole, Gloria, Diane, Chris and Mark.

Jana and Josh (siblings)

Dot, Kristen and Nancy

Mel, Mark, Velda and Elaine. Marcy is facing Elaine and partially hidden.

Dale, Dot, Cerwin, Kristen, Nancy and Jere

Clair and Nancy in front. Dale and Dot in the background.

Marcy, Mark, Arlene, John (background). Jana and Nicole (foreground)

Abby, Cerwin, Donovan and Bennett. We were disappointed that Abby’s husband, Nathaniel, could not attend. He stayed home with two sick girls (Jasmine and Natalie).

Dot, Nancy, Brenda, Anthony and Diane

Abby and Grandpa. She is holding our youngest great grandchild – Renee.

Diana, Waylon, Jeff, Emmy, Natan and Cerwin

Diana and Jana

Soon time for the meal.

The buffet-style meal would soon be set out for us. Food and salad bar.

Food bar

Baked corn, peas and carrots, scalloped potatoes, roast beef and chicken parmesan and pasta.

Salad bar

Cerwin welcomed everyone, gave a few instructions and prayed for the meal.

Our table – which included our wedding party was dismissed first.

Our hostess dismissing the next table which included Barb, Roy, Deb, Diane, Mark, Jade, Drake, Jenna, Dustan and Harper.

This table included Elvin, Chris, Brenda, Steve and Clair. Elvin’s wife, Pat, is standing (left).

Jere and Kristen’s children waiting for their table to be dismissed.

Our total count was fifty-five.

We weren’t eating very long before someone (we learned that it was our granddaughter Jenna) began tapping on her glass and was soon joined everyone else – meaning they were expecting us to kiss. 🙂

The salad bar was replaced with dessert – two cakes (white and red velvet) and ice cream.

We took a few posed photos.

Our wedding party and spouses. John and Arlene Heisey, Mark and Marcy Fahnestock, us, Velda and Mel Rhoads and Elaine Rohrer. John was best man. Arlene a waitress. Mark was an usher. Marcy a bridesmaid. Velda was a bridesmaid. Mel an usher. Elaine represented Kermit who was an usher. She was a waitress.

My siblings – standing in birth order: Me, Dale, Clair, Nancy and Steve. It has been a long time since we had a sibling photo taken.

We had a PowerPoint slide show of our dating, engagement, bridal shower, wedding, honeymoon and family pictures that ran for the time we were there. While everyone was finishing their dessert, we stopped it and talked through another slide show which honored those who were at our wedding but could not be here on this day.

Our grandparents: Left to right: my Grandpa and Grandma Hershey, my Grandpa and Grandma Hawthorne, Us, Cerwin’s Grandma and Grandpa High and Cerwin’s Grandma and Step-Grandpa Groff (his birth grandfather, Grandpa Sauder, died before Cerwin was born).

Cerwin’s parents Ella and Elvin High and my parents Bruce and Florence Hershey.

Kermit Rohrer (a groomsman) died in 2019 and my maid of honor Shirley Clark Lyon died in 2020.

Kathy was a waitress.

During this time, we also introduced our family members by family. My most fun time was announcing that we will have two new great grandbabies in early 2024. Most of our family knew that Zach and Gloria are expecting a baby in February, but not many knew that Nathan and Lauree are expecting their second baby in March. I had permission to do that. It was fun watching and listening to exclamations of surprise. 🙂

We spent the next hour visiting. It was so much fun to enjoy this time with everyone.

During that time, I captured a picture of two of our youngest great grandchildren, Waylon and Emmy looking at something outside the glass door.

These two great grandsons, Bennett and Drake were playing with a chair.

It was nice to have more time to enjoy the flowers after we got home.

I told my sister-in-law Dot (who provided and arranged the flowers) that I couldn’t stop looking at their beauty.

We feel blessed and honored thas so many family members and our wedding party could attend our celebration.

We now move on to the next days that will take us to whatever the Lord has ahead for our lives. Hopefully many more anniversaries.