Catherine and Jerry met 41 years ago and married three months later. Jerry tells what happened “on or about” year 18 of their marriage. He also reveals the most important thing Catherine ever taught him.
FabOverFifty: When and where did you meet?
Jerry: “I met Catherine in the offices of Young & Rubicam, an ad agency. I was a junior account executive and she was visiting with her brother, the senior traffic manager on the Eastern Airlines account. She was waiting out a rainstorm when I returned from lunch. It was in September 1975.”
How did you meet?
“I sort of wandered in to my friend’s office and slyly asked for an introduction. I knew that this wasn’t his wife, and she clearly had a familial resemblance. When he had to leave to do something I suggested, if she had the time, that we continue our discussion across the hall in my office. She came.”
How old are you?
“I was not quite 30 at that point. Today I am just about 71.”
How long have you been married?
“It will be 41 years in January. Note that from our initial meeting to our wedding was about three months.”
Tell us about your career
“I was in the advertising and marketing business my entire career. I started as a mailboy at Young & Rubicam and moved up the ladder. Later, I was CEO of a digital startup, and spent a few years as a consultant before hanging it up.”
Are you still working? If yes, what are you doing?
“I no longer officially work. I am involved in a few start-ups and am thinking seriously about intellectually and spiritually satisfying things I might do going forward.”
How old are your children?
“Our older daughter is 31 and just married and our younger daughter is 29 and now officially a ‘domestic partner.”
What attracted you to your wife when you met?
“The short answer is everything. I grew up with a single mom whose friends were all significantly more interesting than their husbands. Catherine was interesting, self reliant, hard-working and seemingly successful. These were all important to me. She was way more interesting than the girls I was meeting at parties and bars.”
0 Responses to “When A Man Loves A Woman…For 41 Years”
marge201 says:
That was a great read, both of them. Their each other’s mutual admiration society and HOW GREAT IS THAT!!