Author: Edward Guenther
Uploaded: November 11th, 2011
At 18, Geraldine Delsman was the fetchenest girl on the central coast of Oregon, and she and Jack had had an ‘understanding’. Jack was Geraldine’s beau, and Geraldine was Jack’s girl. It was a cold November day in 1934 when Jack decided to take a break from his family’s farm and go hunting in Canada. He would be gone for two weeks… only two weeks.
To keep busy during his absence, Geraldine prepared some quart jars of beef to trade with Lester and Naomi, their neighbors on Bay Park Hill, for quart jars of clams. Noma’s brother, John Guenther, was called upon to help Geraldine carry the beef. He carried those beef jars all right! And got an eyeful to boot! John was done in right off.
That night a handsome young gentleman showed up at Geraldine’s door for a movie date. When the message was taken to Geraldine, she declared that she did not know any John Guenther. John had been smitten, and just because he had neglected to tell Geraldine about their date, he was not to be put off! He graciously stepped in the door and yelled mischievously, “Yes, you do! I’m Noma’s brother.” Geraldine appealed to her ma, half-heartedly looking for a way out, but her ma said, “You are 18 and old enough to decide for yourself.”
Now as fate would have it, Jack had not left for Canada yet. His sister rowed across the Coos River, (there being no bridge in those days), to inform Geraldine of the Indian summer’s final hayride… and Jack would be there. Geraldine so wanted to go, but her mother said that she had told John she would go with him, and go with him she would! So Jack went hunting, and John went courting.
John suddenly amended his ways, no longer a Methodist, but a Catholic with a mission! When Jack got back, Geraldine simply said, “I got somebody else!” She would later tell her children that the old zing she felt with John just wasn’t there with Jack. By December John had a ring on her finger and poor Jack was looking at a cold winter!
Geraldine’s father thought that it was all too sudden! Maybe Geraldine wasn’t old enough to make her own decisions after all. In the end, Geraldine was not to be deterred, but she did consent to wait six months before tying the fatal knot.
Now it happened that John’s father depended on John for chauffeuring him around, and Geraldine was a hindrance to his future. So it was that Mr. Sam Guenther showed up at Joseph Delsman’s house to put an end to this nonsense! He adamantly stated that John was shiftless and a useless wanderer. The two fathers lost the argument with Geraldine, and on June 4, 1935, Geraldine, age 19, was no longer a Delsman!
They took their honeymoon on borrowed gas to a little northern coastal town. Since income was scarce they drove as far as a one-half tank of gas would take them, and after a short honeymoon used the rest of the tank to get back. And they drove Geraldine’s Pa’s brand-new 1935 Chevrolet Sedan.
A little while later John’s father ended up living with them in their little house in North Bend. Stubbornly he admitted, “Well, if John had to go and get hitched, I’m glad it was you.” John was glad, too!
One year turned into 60 years, and Geraldine’s graduating class had a reunion. Geraldine went without John because by then he had ‘rowed over the river’. What a surprise to meet Jack again! They shared some memories, and some laughs. “I’ve learned one thing,” he proclaimed, “Never go to Canada and leave your girl behind… she might not be there when you get back!” Two weeks later Jack died, but for Geraldine, there never was anybody but the dashing John.
