Linderbaums mark 75th anniversary
Evelyn and Lawrence Linderbaum celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary on Feb. 15. (Press photo by Shelia Tomkins)
By Shelia Tomkins
Lawrence and Evelyn Linderbaum of Guttenberg reached a rare milestone in on Feb. 15 when they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.
The couple spent most of their married life in the Monona area, but now reside in Guttenberg — Evelyn at the Guttenberg Care Center and Lawrence at the adjoining Eagle Ridge Assisted Living.
Family and friends gathered to celebrate the event, enjoying a champagne toast, dinner and cake to mark the special anniversary.
Lawrence, who grew up in rural Castalia, recounted the story of their meeting. Evelyn, a native of Luana, was teaching school near Lawrence's home place. "I used to notice her walking to school, and I asked her if she wanted a ride," he said. That was the beginning of a courtship and marriage that would last three-quarters of a century.
The couple was married in Decorah on Feb. 15, 1942. They had no formal honeymoon, but decided to take a short trip to Minneapolis. "It was colder than the dickens," recalls Lawrence. They set off in their 1936 Plymouth and travelled north on two-lane roads to their Minnesota destination. When their car wouldn't start the next day, a delivery truck driver gave the vehicle a jump. Lawrence paid him $2, no small sum in those days.
After a short stint farming with his brother, Lawrence and Evelyn bought a farm near Monona, and he began a lifelong career hauling milk. In the early days, he picked up cans of milk and cream from area farmers. Later he purchased a bulk tank truck and made the rounds, delivering first to the Luana Creamery, and later to the Northeast Iowa Creamery and Swiss Valley. It was a job that demanded long hours seven days a week with very few days off.
Evelyn also worked hard alongside her husband, planting a large garden, raising chickens, canning a lot of produce each year, and mowing the property, all in addition to regular household duties.
The couple raised two children, Dale Linderbaum and Nancy Drahn, who were on hand to celebrate their parents' special anniversary. The couple has four granddaughters and nine great-grandchildren. Lawrence and Evelyn were pleased to receive many anniversary cards, gifts and well-wishes, including a large wall poster signed by parishioners of St. John's Lutheran Church in Luana and presented by Rev. Harold McMillin.
When asked for advice on having a long and happy marriage, Lawrence said with a smile, "The years went by fast. I was too busy to think about it."
