Dotti and Bill Carr of Levittown share their Long Island love story

Dotti Carr of Levittown shares how she met her husband, Bill.

They say love is blind, and in our case that is quite true. In preparation for a blind date with Bill I wanted to use my sun lamp, but I could not find the protective goggles for my eyes. I put Noxzema on my eyelids thinking it would help, since lifeguards use white stuff to prevent sunburn. The sun lamp melted the Noxzema into my eyes and left me unable to see for days. I had to reschedule the blind date because I literally could not see!

On Oct. 17, 1970, we finally had our blind date. We went to Eisenhower Park in East Meadow on a double date with my best friend, Karen, and her future husband, Billy. When everyone arrived to pick me up, both guys had the same name, Bill. My sisters asked me which one was my date. I had no clue. It wasn’t until we headed to the car and Karen and Billy went into the back seat that I knew which Bill was my date.

On June 17, 1973, we were married at St. Martha Roman Catholic Church in Uniondale. I did not want a limo — I wanted a school bus to take the bridal party to the church. My parents were not keen on that idea. We compromised and decided to use my brother-in-law’s Plymouth Fury.

The morning of the wedding, the Plymouth didn’t start. So I called a friend who owned a 1969 Chevy Chevelle. The bridal party loaded into the Chevelle and from New Hyde Park to the church in Uniondale, my bridesmaids hung their heads out the window yelling, “Get out of our way, we are late for a wedding!”

While searching for our first home, I asked my parents to offer their opinion about a house in Freeport. My father told us to knock it down and start from scratch. I later found out that after seeing the house my mom cried the whole way home. We purchased it anyway. After many renovations, we turned a handyman special into a beautiful home where we lived for more than 40 years. (After enduring many snowstorms and floods, we relocated to a co-op in Levittown in 2019.)

Bill attended Washburn University in Kansas and played on their football team. He worked for Bellacicco Bakery and Frito Lay before joining the Local 3 IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). After five years in the Supply Division, he went to the Expeditors Division. He retired after 35 years. Bill has been a volunteer for Operation SPLASH (Stop Polluting, Littering and Save Harbors) of Freeport for 18 years and a docent at the Cradle of Aviation Museum for the past two years.

I was a stay-at-home mom until our two children were in school full time. I started at Chase Bank as a teller trainee and retired as an officer in the Middle Market Division after 25 years.

Chase offered their employees the opportunity to go back to college. While working a full-time job and being a full-time mom, I attended night classes at Adelphi University. I graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in science, magna cum laude. After retiring, I volunteered at South Nassau Community Hospital and was a catechist for the Church of the Sacred Heart in North Merrick.

We are fortunate to live close to our son Billy, daughter-in-law Cathy, daughter Renee, son-in-law Danny, and our grandkids Liam, Joey, Rocca, Rusty, Sabrina and Phia. Bill is our grandkids’ biggest fan. I guess you could say it is mutual, they love him so much! He attends all their events and taught them all how to drive.

Fifty years of marriage have gone by so quickly. Bill is the sweetest man that I have ever known. He has an amazing sense of humor and always makes me smile. He is difficult not to love and I thank God every day for him. I cannot wait to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with family and close friends at Piccolo’s of Mineola.

— With Caroline Curtin