RICHFIELD — "We enjoy doing things together," said Leonora Dahlman. "I think our kids have learned that from us." Leonora and Arnold Dahlman will be married 61 years as of July 31, 2009. They are both 93, and members of Saint Elizabeth Parish in Richfield. "We were both living in San Fernando, Calif., when we met," said Leonora. "We met at a bowling game with some friends who introduced us. We dated for a year. "Then one day Arnold took me for a drive up to Glendale Mountains and asked me to marry him," said Leonora. "And I said, yes. We were just sitting there looking out at the mountains and it was pretty. We were engaged for a year. "We went to Carson City, Nev., to get married in 1948," said Leonora. "We got married in Carson City Hall. Then after two years we welcomed our daughter, Donna Kay, on Dec. 3, 1950. She was the Woman of the Year for St. Elizabeth Parish this year. "We left San Fernando in the early 1970s, and bought a lovely home in Van Nuys, Calif.," said Leonora. "Then in 1971, we bought a home is Santa Barbara, Calif. Arnold was working for the California Gas Company, and he was transferred. In 1977, we moved to Carpinteria, Calif. "Then in December of 1992, we moved to Richfield, Utah," said Leonora. "We bought our home in 1993, and we enjoyed our 60th anniversary after living here all this time. We have had a wonderful 60 years together. "My husband was a the Army Air Corp.," said Leonora. "He is a good man. We just enjoy doing things together. "I was married before, and he was too," said Leonora. "I had three children, and he did not have any. My children have accepted him as their dad. We have developed a family together." Leonora said they like to go to Mesquite together. They have lots of friends there. "We know several people there, including the man who owns three casinos," said Leonora. "We have a good time visiting. "Arnold belongs to the American Legion, and then I joined the American Legion Auxiliary," she said. "We were in that for years, and actually we are still in it, but it is in California. "As a veteran belonging to the American Legion in California, we helped to get an outpatient clinic and worked in it until we moved to Richfield," said Arnold. "One reason we moved to Richfield was because when we had gone through here before we moved here, there was an outpatient clinic. So we thought we would come here and just continue working in it. But by the time we moved here it has disappeared. The American Legion post in Richfield had become dormant, and I tried to rejuvenate it, but the people really did not want to participate. "I have been a ham operator for 52 years during both the Korean War and I was in part with the Army Air Force and Navy Air Force with what they call a MARS (Military Affiliated Radio System) operator and handled messages from the troops in Korea and Vietnam," said Arnold. "We did home-patching, which is a method of picking up a message from the ham radio and patching it into the telephone so the guys could talk to family members at home. "While I was a MARS operator, I was a net control person, in which I had about 12 stations who were checking in with me," said Arnold. "One night a station from Alaska checked in. They had a skip, and at certain times a radio signal could talk around the world, but could not talk to anyone in their own town. The operator called back the next week and said something was happening, and it was when they were having a bad earthquake and tidal wave. It was interesting because I could talk to people all over the world. "It has been an interesting life, and as my wife said, we have enjoyed life and done a lot of things together," said Arnold. "We have traveled a lot and been to Canada, Mexico, and all over a lot of the United States. But we are settled down now." "I used to like to use the ham radio too," said Leonora. "Arnold was also a pilot." Leonora said when they were married 50 years, they had their marriage convalidated in the Catholic Church. Their granddaughter also had her marriage convalidated. "All four of us were married together," said Leonora. "Msgr. Mike Winterer, (now pastor of Christ the King Parish in Cedar City) was the priest at Saint Elizabeth. Msgr. Winterer said you have a 50th anniversary coming up and we are going to do something about it. "And they did," said Leonora. "They made a big cake for us and we had a big party. Leonora said doing things together is what has made their marriage so good for the past 60 years. "Everything he belonged to, I joined," said Leonora. "And things I was doing he helped me do. I was a Girl Scout leader, and he helped me with that. We just always lived a perfect life together. We are just really good friends as well as husband and wife. "We discuss all kinds of things that are happening in the world," said Leonora. "We even go to bed at night together." When asked what advice she would give a young couple today, Leonora said, "Try to understand each other and live for each other. Understand what each other likes and know each other’s dislikes, and don’t play around on the dislikes. Keep the tempers down. "We got a letter from Senator Bob Bennett congratulating us on being married 60 years," said Leonora. "We actually got several real nice thoughtful letters. "In raising our children, we just tried to live right and let them see how we lived by example," said Leonora. "We have raised a family, and it has been quite a satisfying life," said Arnold. "Live life as you go."
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