Veterans home celebrates a rare wedding between residents

When you work as a chaplain for veterans home, you expect that funeral services will be a regular part of your job.

But wedding ceremonies are a rare treat — particularly when they join two of your elderly residents.

So when 86-year-old Chuck and 91-year-old Glenda became the Bowkers on July 24, Pastor Ron Hempel, who has served as chaplain for the Retsil Veterans Home for the past 30 years, said it was definitely an event to remember.

“That was only the second marriage (between residents) that I’ve done,” Hempel said, adding that the first was about a decade ago and perhaps even more memorable.

“The bride and groom were in wheelchairs, and the staff wrote ‘Just Married’ on the back of the chairs, then put tin cans trailing behind them,” he recalled.

Tami Reuter, Retsil’s activities director, said “all of the staff, and the residents, got involved (in the wedding last month), so it was very fun.”

Before the ceremony, Reuter said the couple enjoyed a private breakfast together in an activity room outside the dining hall, then enjoyed a large wedding cake and dancing afterward.

The Bowkers spent their wedding night at a hotel, and after two days of marriage the whirlwind of activity seemed to catch up with the groom as he was rushed to the emergency room at Harrison Hospital.

After treatment, the groom returned to Retsil, and the couple is enjoying their new suite at the veterans home.

Reuter said most of the planning for the Bowkers’ wedding was done by volunteers, including John and Ann Parker of Gig Harbor, and the cost of the festivities, including the hotel stay, was paid for by friends of the couple.

According to the Parkers, Chuck is a World War II veteran and was a widower when he moved into Retsil earlier this year. Not long after his arrival, his attention was nabbed by Glenda, who also served in WWII by training pilots in instrument flying.

Hempel said Chuck nabbed plenty of attention himself when he arrived by dancing in the dining hall at lunch during his first day.

“He danced all his life; it is like breathing to him,” Hempel said, remembering it was a lovely scene as another resident’s niece got up to dance with Chuck that first day.

Hempel said he holds services every Sunday at Retsil’s Chapel, which he described as “the oldest building on the grounds now. Built in 1963, it is a really gorgeous little chapel.”

And while weddings between residents are quite rare, Hempel said other marriage ceremonies are performed there at least once a month, usually involving staff members or children of staff members.

“I have two weddings this month,” he said, explaining that variety of events at the home has made his 30 years there very enjoyable. “The residents are wonderful, the staff is really dedicated, and every day is interesting — every person is fascinating.”

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