The Cupertino Courier

Cover Story

Photograph by Kevin White

A picture of Fernando and Etta Richards, in their younger years, adorns the cake served at their 70th anniversary party.

Platinum Anniversary

Wedded 70 years, their lives together span a lifetime of memories and history

By RUBY ELBOGEN

Etta and Fernando (Fern) Richards have been husband and wife since Aug. 16, 1936.

Fern--who will turn 98 in December--and Etta, a youthful 89, both say they owe their long and happy life together to patience.

At an anniversary celebration this month at their favorite Cupertino restaurant, Loon Wah, their son, Dave Richards, said, "Mom and Dad never argued or had any sort of fight in front of their children. We knew they didn't always agree on everything, but there were never harsh words we could hear." Today, Dave lives just a few blocks from his parents in the Monta Vista Neighborhood.

Born in France, Fern immigrated to the United States in 1911. His father, a coal miner, brought the family to Kroberg, Kan., where he would find work in the mines. Fern finished his formal schooling at age 13 and, like most other boys his age in Kroberg, joined his father in the mines. After two years of back-breaking work, he ran away from home and found factory work in Chicago.

Etta's mother died when she was a little girl in Missouri. She came west to California's Gold Country when her father packed up the family's possessions and moved his five daughters and two sons to Plumas County during the Dust Bowl years in the Midwest.

At the age of 24, Fern and a few of his buddies bought a new car and headed for the gold fields of Alaska, hoping to become millionaires. They got as far as California, where fate stepped in. Fern and his friends found work in the gold mines of North Bloomfield, and that's where Etta and her family made their home. The two became friends, and the rest, as they say, is history.

When Fern proposed to Etta, she accepted, and the young couple eloped to Reno, Nev., just one day before Etta's sweet 16. Married by a justice of the peace, Etta recalls, "I traded doing all the housework for a large family to taking care of Fern and me. It was a good move." Etta's father and brothers were not happy about the elopement, so the newlyweds offered them a small bottle of whiskey to keep the peace.

Dave recounts, "My parents' marriage survived the Great Depression, which Dad says wasn't that great; World War II and countless other conflicts; the prosperity of the '50s; the rebelliousness of the '60s; the ugly clothing of the '70s; the promiscuous '80s; the high-tech '90s and the dot-com bust; and hurricanes when they lived in Hawaii."

During this time Fern and Etta had four children: Carol, Fernetta, Ron and David, who were all raised in Grass Valley.

Although Fern worked at almost every gold mine in Placer County, he never caught gold fever. He was content with dredging, working on the machinery used to mine gold, and cutting timber in the sawmills for flumes to extract gold from the water. In 1938, he built a home at the Omega Mine so the family could live there during the harsh winter months.

When World War II broke out, Fern went to work in the shipyards as an electrician. His job, the building of Liberty Ships, was so important to the war effort, the draft board refused to let him enlist. Every time his draft number came up, he was deferred.

After the war, the family tried its hand at raising 500 chickens, part time, while Fern became a carpenter a trade he followed until the age of 65. During those years, Etta became active in the community and served as PTA president. The family became very active in their church.

In 1953, Fern and Etta packed up their young family in a 1950 Chevy four-door sedan and set out on a cross-country odyssey to New York City for a church convention. They camped in national parks along the way, and their children, who had been raised in dry California, were astonished to experience rain in August when they reached Florida.

Etta remembers, "It was hot, rainy and muggy and before air conditioning for cars was invented. We had to ride with our windows up. It was not pleasant." The family was also taken aback by segregation in the South. When they saw signs in gas stations and rest stops for "Men/Women/Colored," they couldn't believe their eyes. Dave, peering out the window of the car, recalls, "It was a real eye-opener to see separate drinking fountains, and different sections on buses and restaurants. We just didn't understand why people were treated this way. It left a lifelong impression."

The Richardses settled in Cupertino in 1979. When Fern was at an age when most men have given up hard physical labor, he built the home they live in today. Although they've slowed down some, the two still take part in church activities. Etta still drives. Both are computer-savvy. Fern enjoys doing research on the Web, and Etta keeps in touch with family and friends through email.