Love Story: She was bowled over by him from the start

Elaine Cannella (nee Giordano) of Ridge shares how she met her husband, Tony.

A girlfriend and I were at Woodhaven Bowling Alley in Queens the first time I noticed Tony Cannella, who bowled in league with his friends. It was 1959; I was 18 and he was 23. Tony and I began flirting, then talking, that night. We discovered we had high school in common: I was still at John Adams High School in Ozone Park, and he had already graduated. We had never met because Tony was five years older than me, and he was the owner of a masonry construction company in Ozone Park. 

After that night, I wanted to see him again — and since he was in the bowling league, I made plans with my girlfriend to return to the bowling alley the next week. We saw each other that night, and he asked me out.

On our first date we went to dinner at House of Wong, a Chinese restaurant on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach. We continued dating, though we were also dating other people.

After several years of on-and-off dating, we became more focused on our relationship. In 1963 we began dating steadily — though Tony said he was still confused about whether to commit to our relationship. I felt it was up to Tony to decide what to do because I loved him and wanted to get engaged.

Later that year, he had a change of heart, and we were engaged in June 1963. He sold his ‘57 Chevy to buy me a beautiful engagement ring, which he gave to me under the grapevine in my parents' backyard in Ozone Park. We got married on Feb. 2, 1964, at St. Mary Gate of Heaven Church in Ozone Park; we had a catered reception at Fleur de Lis in Ridgewood, Queens. My friend Barbara was the maid of honor, and she wore a velvet fuchsia-colored dress; Tony’s brother, Robert, was the best man. We honeymooned at Strickland's Mountain Inn & Cottages in the Poconos.

We lived in Ozone Park for about a year. The next February our daughter was born, and shortly after that we bought our first home in North Babylon. We also welcomed a German shepherd pup we named Sheppy. Our son was born four years later. With our growing family we moved to Kings Park in 1973. Tony’s mom came to live with us, making it easier for me to return to a full-time job working as a secretary at Stony Brook University. A while later we added a Keeshond puppy, Fluffy, to our family. We took wonderful family vacations and weekend trips in the metropolitan area.

Tony was a masonry contractor for more than 55 years, retiring in 2005; I retired from Stony Brook in 2006. For years we were active in multiple senior citizen clubs. Tony was a member of the Elks in Smithtown, and I was president of PFLAG of Long Island, a Huntington organization that supports and advocates for LGBTQ+ people and their families.

Between family, clubs and lifelong friends, we have kept very busy. In 2014, the family celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Puerto Rico.

These days, I enjoy my ladies book club and mah-jongg; Tony enjoys jigsaw puzzles and the computer. Together, we like to go to the movies and lunch with friends and, of course, we both enjoy family time with our children and their partners.

In February, we celebrated 58 years of marriage. We count our blessings every day for the life and family we have built together.

— With Lynn Petry