Ocean Park residents Ralph and Fran Osgood are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next month. Ralph, a native of Massachusetts, spent much of his career in the cinema and newspaper business. Fran, Washington born and bred, worked at the Candy Basket in Portland, Anna Lenas and Oysterville Sea Farms. Frans sisters husband built the movie theatre in Long Beach. The couple retired to the Peninsula in 1993.

 

How did you meet?

 

Ralph: A radar outfit set up in her hometown of Colville, we had 28 people that opened it; we had 300-something people when we got it going. Anyhow, it was 26 miles out of town. What the story was, was in the 50s where they built radar stations there, Yakima, Montana, Naselle was involved in it, and Neah Bay had one, up in Republic had one. They rigged Hanford because they were concerned about the Russian Bearcat Bombers coming over and taking our Hanford. Thats the reason they got those radar stations.

 

Fran: During the Korean War, well its what youd call a war

 

R: It was a police action There was 28 of us in the deal

 

F: Young men, 19 you know, and so on.

 

R: Yeah, I was young, I was 20, almost 20

 

F: You were 19 when we met.

 

R: Young, snot-nosed kid.

 

F: Thats right!

 

R: Anyhow, Im downtown on Main Street, right? And I see this little kid and I says, You got any sisters? She called me a Fast Easterner.

 

F: You were!

 

R: And she was a Fast Westerner because she hog-tied me before I even knew it!

 

F: Right

 

R: Anyhow, his babysitter was Fran. He says, Oh I got a nice babysitter. So you know me, I went down and knocked on the door! She opened the door, she says, A man! and she grabbed me and that was it! End of story. (2:34)

 

F: Yeah, right My mother had just passed away a week before and he never did meet her, and I had younger brothers and sisters, and so I was home with them, so was taking care of him, them.

 

R: Well I met her in February and I was hog-tied in August.

 

F: We were planning to wait a year. But I had aunts and things like that because my mother passed away and they said my love went from my mother to him, and itd never last. So I went and talked to my father and decided wed do it in August and I wanted to do it on the 24th because thats my fathers birthday. So I asked him if hed mind.

 

R: Her aunt said it would never last!

 

So tell me about your wedding day on Aug. 24, 1951. Where did you get married?

 

R: The First Congregational Church [in Colville]. I was so nervous I put my brass on the wrong lapel you can notice it in the wedding pictures! We had a military wedding it was different, I guess. She made her own wedding dress.

 

Whats your favorite thing about each other?

 

R: Well, shes as pretty as the day I married her, shes still my 18-year-old. Does that cover it?

 

F: Well, hes

 

R: Im a pain in the butt!

 

F: Well, you cant stay mad at him very long We just take care of each other. Hes good about taking care of me, in fact he babies me sometimes, I want to kick him! But anyway

 

What is the most difficult thing youve faced together?

 

R: I think her cancer.

 

F: Cancer. But Ive had a lot of operations, Ralph has had a lot of operations

 

R: Shes not half the woman I married, and thats the truth!

 

F: Its the truth!

 

F: That was 25 years ago. I had had a mammogram and they found a spot, a very small one. And they said if they hadnt caught it on the mammogram, it wouldve been eight years before they found it.

 

In his retirement, Ralph plays baseball and arranges free movie viewings at the local theater each week. What do you do now that youre retired, Fran?

 

(simultaneously)

R: Chase me around the house!

F: Trying to take care of him!

 

R: What did you say? Its kind of tough for her being home all the time she takes all my housework away from me. All my jobs!

 

F: The first couple months that I was retired, I go ahead and start doing things Youre taking my job away from me!

 

R: We always work together, you know, when she was gone, I did things and

 

F: But, we cannot do a project together.

 

R: No.

 

F: Absolutely cannot do a project together.

 

R: Its like a cat and a bow-wow together.

 

F: Because he has his way of doing it and I have my way of doing it.

 

R: Theres the right way and theres the wrong way Right?

 

F: Nope I dont argue with him, it makes his blood pressure go through the roof. I just let him do what he wants to do.

 

R: Yes, dear. Thats another one Yes, dear. Took me over a year to find out what Yes, dear means. You know what it means? No.

 

F: Well, you know him, he projects things. He tries to project me for things but I usually already have things that Im going to do

 

R: Youve gotta be organized to get things done.

 

F: Well Im organized to do my thing, and Ive got time to do it, Ill do it. If I dont have time to do it, I dont do it. And so one day, about a year later, he says, Yes, dear means no doesnt it? I said, Yes, dear!

 

F: We get along, we laugh a lot at each other.

 

Ralph and Fran shared several humorous stories from their cross-country road trips throughout the years, from Fran being pulled over for speeding in Wyoming, to stopping in a town bearing the family surname.

 

F: We had gone to Osgood, Ind., on the last trip, we went back there and we were staying in a place and I wanted to go see something and he says, No, were going to Osgood, Ind. I says, You went there last year!

 

R: Yeah, but they got a big sign going into town, it says Osgood, Indiana: Home of the Damn Theater. D-A-M-N, that was the name, the Damn Theater.

 

F: So anyway, I was mad at him

 

R: As usual!

 

F: Not as usual, but anyway, so I took the camera out and started taping pictures about 10 miles out. Started taking pictures, going to Osgood, Indiana. And finally we got to the city center and I says to him, Now you can put the tape on TV if you want to go to Osgood, Ind., now youve got the pictures. He was so mad at me!

 

R: Not me, I havent got a mad bone in my body. Youre funny, you know that? I oughta marry you some day if I can catch you.

 

Who do you think would play you in a movie about your life?

R: Bugs Bunny. Whats up Doc? Shed be Sheena, Queen of the Jungle! … I dont know, Rita Hayworth?

 

F: Oh dear.

 

R: You like Rita Hayworth!

 

F: No, I like her but Im not as beautiful as she is for crying out loud.

 

R: Ha! No one can hold a candle to you, kid.

 

What advice do you have for couples who are just starting out?

 

F: Communicating is the big thing, you know.

 

R: Personality.

 

F: Whether youre mad at each other or anything like that. Another thing you dont do is you dont go to bed mad.

 

R: And Im always innocent, I was framed.

 

F: Yes No, he kids like that.

 

R: No, I always cuddle up and kiss her on the nose see if its cool or not. Shes like a dog, if shes got a cool nose, shes OK.

 

F: I keep telling him Im not a cat. We just have our sayings, you know, that get us laughing.

 

F: Communicate.

 

R: Yep, thats it.

 

F: And dont go to bed mad at each other. Tell each other, I love you every day.

 

R: Yep. Nibble on their ear, if you can catch em. Shes got the most evasive ear in the whole state of Washington!

 

F: It was rough raising three kids, I mean, you know, but you have to laugh about things. You cant take yourself too seriously.

 

R: Always kiss em goodnight. Because you never know if youll be there in the morning, and thats the truth at our age you never know.