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| Merritt and Maude Emma Agard 60th Wedding Celebration |
This family photo exemplifies love
as each of these couples married young and stayed happily married until death
did they part. They served as a strong moral core for their families and for
everyone who knew them. They used their talents to the benefit of the
communities in which they lived.
The photo was taken in
1983 on the occasion of the 60th wedding anniversary of Merritt
Martin Agard and Maude Emma (Hardenbrook) Agard. The couple on the left is
their son John Richard Agard and his wife Beverly (Shepard) Agard; on the
right, Edward Francis Nunn and Carol (Agard) Nunn (my parents). The photo was
taken at our family restaurant, Taughannock Farms Inn, overlooking Cayuga Lake
near Trumansburg, New York.
Merritt’s version of how he met Maude: It was at one of their church suppers (Jacksonville M.E. Church) that
he caught Maude Hardenbrook’s eye. Maude had attended with another young man
from the community. Merritt, being mischievous, turned the lights out during
the supper. While the lights were out, he raced in, took Maude’s hand, and took
her away from her companion.
Maude on the other hand
liked to tell the story that on one of their first dates, Merritt tried to kiss
her and she slapped his face. In any event, they sorted all that out, were
married, and celebrated their 60th anniversary in August 1983.
From their wedding book: They
were married at Willow Creek on August 22, 1923 by the Reverend R. L.
Smith. Witnesses were Helen Atwater and Alfred Hopkins. Guests were: Mrs. E. Hardenbrook,
Mr. Enos Hardenbrook, Mrs. Arthur Agard, Mr. Arthur Agard, Mrs. Menzo Wortman,
Mr. Menzo Wortman, Mr. W. L. Twekin, John W. Agard, Mary A. Simpson, Moreia
Higgins, Fred D. Higgins, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Agard, Frank J. Beardsley, Mrs.
F.J. Beardsley, Adalade C. Tucker, Mr. and Mrs. John Rightmire, Delia
Rightmire, Mr. and Mrs. C. Owen Carman, Dorothy M. Vann, M. Gertrude Godfrey,
Eleanor M. Drew, Mrs. Walter Higgins, Mary Higgins, Leon Drew, Walter Higgins,
Emily H. Gardner, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Darling, Cornelia B. Thompson, Mrs. C.
H. Smith, C. H. Smith, Kenneth Hardenbrook, Alice D. Sherman.
J. Richard Agard and
Beverly Jean Shepard were married July 1946 in Sage Chapel on the campus of
Cornell University.
Edward Nunn and Carol
Louise Agard were married September 12, 1941 in the rectory of Immaculate
Conception Church in Ithaca, New York with J. Richard Agard and Adeline Agard
in attendance. The reception was held at her parent’s home on Jacksonville
Road. Photos of their wedding can be found on an earlier blog.
I miss these loving members of my family.
