Fred and Virginia Corra: The 'Greatest Generation'

Intermountain Catholic

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Fred and Virginia Corra are married October 11, 1947, in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ogden. The two had met in January at the train station. photos courtesy of Corra family

OGDEN — When Fred Corra first saw Virginia Morrelli at the Ogden Train Station, Jan. 3, 1947, "it was interest at first sight," he said. The Des Plaines, Ill., native asked Virginia to marry him five months later and the two were married the following October.

"We didn’t want to wait too long," Fred said. "We were members of the greatest generation, after all."

Virginia, 86, said she tried to raise Fred, 81, right. The two, married this year for 60 years, have much the same dry wit. They kid each other affectionately, and admit that although their bodies are slowing down and their children are grown, there is still a lot of love between them.

"We were married by Msgr. Patrick F. Kennedy in St. Joseph Church. Back then, it was the only Catholic Church in Ogden," said Fred. "My father was from a part of Austria that is now Revo, Italy – at the base of the Dolomite Mountains. I’ve always considered myself Austrian. Our family came to Utah to work in the mines. That was after my father was a rum runner in Chicago."

The Corra family has a long history in Ogden. Fred’s aunt and uncle ran the old Cable Cottage Tea Room and the Colonial Inn. On that night in January 1947, when he first met Virginia, she’d come to the train station with his cousins. They had three children, two boys and a girl, and were long-time friends of Leonard and Joyce Brennan (Joyce is featured elsewhere in this issue).

"We played golf together," Virginia said. "We used to travel around in a trailer and play golf courses in Arizona and Nevada. We have a son, Tom, who lives in Hawaii, so we’ve played golf there, too. I loved to play golf. I just wish it didn’t take so long."

Today the Corras live in their comfortable Ogden home with their youngest son, John. Their daughter, Paula, lives nearby, and she and her mother enjoy going out to lunch together.

"Paula is our wheels," said Virginia.

Fred was a school teacher and a coach. He graduated in 1953 from Utah State Agricultural College (today Utah State University). He taught first at Dugway, then for the Tooele School District. He taught industrial arts, mathematics, and history and coached just about every sport for 28 years at Washington Junior High School and Highland Junior High School before retiring in 1982.

"He was a tough teacher, but he was a good teacher," Virginia said. "Many of his students still recognize him. They stop and talk about the good times and the bad times they had. In fact, his doctor is a former student of his."

Fred said he’d wanted to teach in a Catholic school, "but St. Joseph Elementary School couldn’t afford me."

Virginia went to work for the Internal Revenue Service in Ogden after the children were all in school. She retired as a senior tax examiner in 1981.

The Corras have four grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, including their newest, a baby boy born in Evanston, Wyo.

"All of our children went to St. Joseph Elementary School," Virginia said. "Two of our grandchildren did. At that time in our lives, St. Joseph’s didn’t have the high school yet. But it was important for our children to get a Catholic education."

Their 60th anniversary is going to be tame compared to their 50th, which was celebrated with a big party st St. James Catholic Church.

"Maybe we’ll go out to dinner. We’re not as mobile as we used to be."

The Corras said their children didn’t come to them for advice about how to have successful marriages.

"They knew it all," Fred said. "But, I’d have told them that one reason why we’re still married is because Virginia is a very agreeable person – a real mother hen."

"That’s because I’d rather agree than fight," Virginia said with a laugh.

"I think our faith has a lot to do with our marriage," said Fred. "We used to go to Mass every day. We were both extraordinary minister (of the Eucharist), and we did a lot of things together with other Catholic couples."

The Corras often went fishing together. Fred caught, cleaned, and cooked the fish. Virginia sat on the river bank and knitted.

Fred said young couples don’t seem to do much with each other any more.

"There are too many reasons for people not to get along," he said. "Just turn on the television. It’s all about sex and money. It’s provocative."

Fred said couples need rules and guidelines in marriage. "It helps when it comes to making decisions. Today, young people seem to be choosing their own commandments. We pray for them."

Virginia said although they can’t get to daily Mass any more, they go to Mass every Sunday at St. James Church or St. Mary’s. "That new St. James Church is fantastic. It has no stairs."

These days, the Corras like to sit at the kitchen table and watch the hummingbirds through the picture window.

"Sometimes the little birds fly into the window," said Fred. "We just pick them up, rub their little heads, and they fly off."

"Couples need to promise each other they’re going to keep the faith," he said. "Marriage is a commitment. Couples shouldn’t argue, and they shouldn’t lie to each other."

Virginia said she still remembers the simple advice Msgr. Kennedy gave them when they were preparing to get married. "He said never go to sleep mad at each other, and he was right."

Fred said Msgr. Kennedy also told them their first responsibility was to themselves as a couple. Their second responsibility was to the Catholic Church.

"I went to Catholic schools when I was growing up," he said. "We were taught by Franciscan sisters. We got report cards once a month. When we brought the report cards back to the sisters, we brought a dollar. That was our tuition. They sure couldn’t do that these days."

Virginia suffers from bone cancer and her eyesight is failing. Fred’s health isn’t so good. He walks with a cane.

"This isn’t the happiest time in our lives," Virginia said. "But we still have our faith as we always have."

"We watch sports on television, and I’ve gone back to stamp collecting, which I’ve done since I was eight years old," Fred said.

Virginia agrees with Fred that young couples today have too many worldly influences that can distract them from their marriages and their families.

"Couples need to dance more," Virginia said. "We went out two nights a week and belonged to a dance club. You wouldn’t believe it by looking at us now, but we danced our heads off."