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| Shirley and Herald are newlyweds! |
2/14/18 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
This is a love story that will warm your heart. It is a whirlwind
romance that is pure enchantment in every detail. The bride and groom are
adorable octogenarians who are still young at heart. The new bride says that their
story is proof that “God works in mysterious ways….”
Last year, Shirley McDaniel and Herald Callison celebrated
Valentine’s Day at a church dinner—separately. They were acquaintances but not
sweethearts. Both were now widowed but they and their families had belonged to
Cottage Grove Bible Church for about 29 years. During that time, they had
established respect and rapport for each other through casual meetings in his
Bible classes and her service as a Deaconess.
Shirley was born in West Virginia but met her first husband
Aaron McDaniel at a Bible College in North Carolina. They had four children
together—Sue Allen, Veronica, Dennis and Jennifer. That now includes 15
grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. During Aaron’s ministry career, they
lived in many places before they moved to Cottage Grove in 1987. Here, Shirley
worked for Operation Independence for 18 years. They had been married 49 years when
Aaron passed away in 2008.
Shirley, now 81, had
been a widow for 9 years. She had not thought about re-marriage—at least not
much. She kept busy with her work, family, church and travels to visit her
extensive family across the country. In fact, she had told Pastor Singer that
she was planning a trip to Nicaragua to stay awhile with her sister. She loves
to travel.
Herald was born in Santa Rosa, Calif. but later moved to
Portland, OR where he married Rosalee Schmidt. They had three children together—Kathy,
Douglas and Melvin. Four grandsons and 3 great-grandchildren came along later.
They moved to C.G. in 1985. Rosalee was a longtime kindergarten teacher at Oak
Park Christian School. Herald was an electrical engineer and retired from
Kimwood in 1995. Rosalee passed away in 2013 after 59 years of marriage.
Herald, now 87, was busy but lonely. He decided to have a
talk with Pastor Singer who asked him if he had thought about getting married
again. Herald nodded his head yes and the pastor asked whom he was interested
in. The answer came quickly—Shirley McDaniel. “Well,” the pastor said, “She’s
about to leave town. You’d better get with it!” Herald wasted no time in
complying. Shirley was clueless what was coming.
That next Sunday, Shirley and another couple joined Herald
for lunch at his house. After the other couple left, Herald asked Shirley to
stay—and he proposed marriage! He recalls blurting it out because…there was no
time to waste. Shirley was shocked but replied, “Let me think about it.” Three
days later she called, accepted his proposal. She momentarily wondered “what
have I done?” Followed by, “Goody, goody!”
And that was that. When I asked, “How did the first date
go?” They burst out laughing and said, “There wasn’t one.”
The next week at church the pastor announced that Shirley
was getting married. I’m told that everyone looked around and said, “Who’s she
marrying?” Herald stood up and said, “Me!” The congregation erupted in laughter
and applause. Pastor Singer now has the title of matchmaker. In the space of a two-week
courtship there were no naysayers. His family had been encouraging him to ask
her. Her family didn’t have the foggiest idea what was going on but were
thrilled.
They chose July 8, 2017 as the wedding date—just a few
months away. Everyone pitched in. His daughter made the cake. Her daughters
helped with the planning and organizing. They used the punch bowl set from
Shirley’s first wedding and all the attendants were (of course) family.
Everyone played a part. Even the photographer was family. It was, as the bride
said, “A really big deal!”
On their wedding day, the bride wore a gorgeous lace wedding
gown and the groom wore a striking navy-blue suit. The dress and suit were purchased
in Florence at a Goodwill store! Seeing Herald’s face light up at his first
glimpse of his bride is priceless. I am told the ceremony was warm, loving and
hilarious as pastor admitted his ‘meddling’ in setting the couple up. They said
their vows, slipped on their wedding rings and were pronounced husband and
wife.
Shirley’s smile says it all. Single no more, they happily
walked back up the aisle as husband and wife. After the reception, they jumped
into a 1952 Chevy truck (it was Herald’s dad’s) for the honeymoon. As they
drove away to life’s next chapter, “Just Married” was on the window, tin cans
were clanging and a bright future ahead.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Callison! God knew what He was
doing and the best is yet to come!
Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox @ bchatty@bettykaiser.com
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