All in the Family
It was love at first sight when Dorothy (Dotty) and Chuck Hansen met at Howard Johnson’s 50 years ago. And today, after raising four children and celebrating the addition of eight grandchildren to their family, they still laugh about their initial dates.
“The minute I saw her, I knew she was the one,” says Chuck, who held a second job at the restaurant.
While Dorothy played it cool on the outside, she was just as smitten. She would often try to convince her brother to drive her to the restaurant so she could see Chuck, and if he wouldn’t, she would sneak out and drive her car without a license. After a month, Chuck finally got up the nerve to ask her out. Dorothy, of course, agreed without hesitation.
“When we got back to Dotty’s house, I went to give her a kiss goodnight and she pushed me off the stoop,” Chuck recalls. “On the second date, I gave her a little pat on the behind. This time,” he says, laughing, “I didn’t get on the stoop.”
From that moment on, the couple began their life together. Within six months Chuck proposed. To him, she seemed to need convincing, but she’ll even admit today that she was only playing hard-to-get.
As a young couple, the Hansens knew they wanted to raise a family in the traditional sense—Chuck would be the breadwinner and Dorothy would stay home to take care of the children. “We decided to do this come hell or high water,” Dorothy says with a smile. “Through the years we have seen both, and together as a family we made it through.”
Half a century later, their eyes still glow when reminiscing about the years of raising a family together. They smile and laugh as they tell stories about their kids and grandkids. And they are proud to see those family traditions have been embraced by their own children, who equally love spending time together. And just as Chuck and Dorothy did when their kids were young, today their grown children and young grandkids love to celebrate life together—enjoying the good times, working through the bad times, vacationing together, playing games, boating and eating meals as a happy extended family.
While all grown up with families of their own, the Hansens’ kids haven’t forgotten the love and support their parents gave them through the years. In tribute, last Christmas they surprised Mom and Dad with a loving letter. In it, they wrote specific instructions—what to pack, where to meet, everything except the destination—for a trip in honor of their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The surprise destination was a beautiful house on a lake—made even more magical with the attendance of their entire family.
Their story is testament to the strength of true love and family support. But if you ask them the secret to sustaining their marriage over five decades, both Chuck and Dorothy will laugh about it. “I always thought of Dotty as both my wife and my mistress,” Chuck says. In good spirit, Dorothy finishes his statement with a sly smile and a closing thought: “I always kept him guessing!”
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