November 15, 2018 (Henrietta, NY) ─ Putting one another first, agreeing with one another (most of the time) and never going to bed angry are the secret to Joanne and David Hackett’s wedded bliss. The couple who lives at Woodcrest Commons, a DePaul Senior Living Community in Henrietta, recently celebrated their 69^th wedding anniversary on October 29.

Joanne, a Rochester native, and David, a native of Elba, both grew up on family farms. The two met through Joanne’s brother, whom David would play horseshoes with.

“I tried my best to get David to notice me,” said Joanne, who eventually resorted to asking her brother to suggest David take her out on a date.

She was 16 and he was 21, which she suspects had something to do with why he wasn’t picking up on her cues. The two clicked right away and enjoyed spending time together. Joanne said David was very handsome with a full head of black curls and David said Joanne had beautiful long blonde hair and blue eyes. The rest is history.

Walking home from a date one night, David said, “you know, we ought to get married.” With David working on a farm in Avon and Joanne living in Pittsford, there was a lot of driving back and forth to see one another.

They said their “I dos” at a rectory in Avon in a small wedding. The two now have six children, one of whom has passed, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Over the years, David served as an artillery sergeant in Italy in World War II, and worked as a handyman before landing a job at Kodak where he worked for 31 years. Joanne was a stay-at-home mother for several decades before she began working at Kodak part-time. She also worked in retail and at Wegmans on Monroe Avenue at points in her life.

The Hacketts celebrated their anniversary with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, followed by cake, flowers and champagne back at Woodcrest Commons.

Activities Director Lindsay Lown said the way the couple look out for and care for one another is a testament of their love. David will make Joanne fresh hardboiled eggs when she’s not feeling well or do the laundry for her, while Joanne is always advocating for David. His vision has declined over the years so he’s no longer able to read the paper as he once did on a daily basis, so she’ll scan the newspaper for anything he would find interesting and reads it to him.

“Where one lacks, the other steps in and it’s so sweet to see,” said Lown. “David is always so willing to go with whatever crazy idea Joanne and I have cooked up and he never complains! I can’t wait to celebrate 70 years with them!”

For more information about Woodcrest Commons, please contact Regional Director Lisa Ippolito at (585) 334-1800, at lipolitto@depaul.org or visit us on Facebook.