Love Story: They were destined to have that first date

Evelyn Lund (nee Shillalies) of Floral Park talks about meeting her husband, Harry.

In 1948 I was performing in a play at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Manhattan when I saw Harry in the audience and smiled at him. He smiled back. On July 11, 1950, during a square dance in Central Park, Harry saw me and asked me to dance. Although we lived a block away from each other in Manhattan and went to the same church, and Harry’s brother Freddy and his wife lived in the same building as my widowed mother and me, Harry and I had not officially met until that dance. Our first date was two days later when we went ballroom dancing at the 72nd Street Central Park Mall. I was 16, and Harry was 18.

While we were dating we enjoyed visiting Jones Beach and Bear Mountain, going to amusement parks, bowling together (when it was a only nickel a game), and attending movies and plays. I enjoyed watching Harry play baseball.

During a birthday party for Harry’s grandmother on Feb. 5, 1953, Harry took me home to rest when I became sick. He tucked me into bed and said, “I love taking care of you. Will you marry me?” I said yes and fell asleep.

We were married July 12, 1953, at the church where we first saw each other. The reception was at Sokol Hall, also in Manhattan. It had a huge dance floor where everyone had plenty of room to polka. Our cake was made by Harry's father, a baker. People talked about the cake and our wedding for a long time.

We honeymooned at Niagara Falls, Canada, and upstate Lake George. Coincidentally, my mother was invited by friends to visit Niagara Falls while we were there. She mailed postcards to other friends who, because my mother and I were close and frequently traveled together, thought, "Oh my, did Evelyn take her mother on her honeymoon?"

I am a retired nursery school manager and sales associate as well as a former EMT at Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Girl Scout leader at St. Paul's Church in Floral Park. I enjoyed bowling with my children and coaching a youth bowling league at Bellmore Lanes, where each child receive a free bowling ball after joining. I also enjoy sewing and repairing clothes and stuffed animals for family and friends.

Harry worked for Grumman Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. as a test engineer until he was drafted in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Korean War and returned to Grumman afterward. He also had jobs in Baltimore and in Wilmington, Delaware, before we returned to New York. We moved into our home in Floral Park in December 1967. Harry worked for 32 years as an FAA type certification aerospace engineer at Kennedy Airport and then Valley Stream until his retirement. Harry was an avid baseball player at Stuyvesant High School and City College of New York. He also coached our children’s softball team. Harry was a great bowler and golfer. His hobby was photography and is a self-taught computer user.

We are blessed with five wonderful children, seven grandchildren and their four dogs and five cats. We celebrated our 69th anniversary on July 12 with our family. Our son David and wife, Debra, our daughter Marilyn and five of our grandchildren made a delicious salmon dinner for us at Marilyn's home in Bellerose. 

If I could talk to my newlywed self, I would say "love conquers all." 

— With Caroline Curtin