Ray and Betty Swanson
Couple proves the naysayers wrong at 60th anniversary
By Shari Kaplan
Some people may find "love at first sight" to be a corny cliché, but for longtime Saratogans Ray and Betty Swanson, it's a romantic reality. In fact, the couple celebrated just that on May 11, when their family threw them a party in honor of their 60th wedding anniversary.
Married May 9, 1942, in Reno, Nev., the Swansons had a truly whirlwind courtship leading up to their nuptials. "We only knew each other about nine weeks before we got married. People said it wouldn't last!" Betty recalls, laughing.
Although she had dated other men before Ray, Betty says she felt right away that he was different. Ray was an ensign in the U.S. Navy at the time, but, Betty says, he was shy and quiet--nothing like the stereotype of the "macho sailor."
"We moved around often, and Ray was gone a lot, but you learn to adjust," Betty says of her life as a military wife and mother. "We've had our ups and downs, but we've had a great life and a healthy family. I thank God every day!"
After 28 years in the U.S. Navy, Ray retired with the rank of commander. He then obtained a real estate broker's license and opened a realty office in the Saratoga Village. He has since retired from real estate.
Betty is retired from 18 years as a secretary with the Saratoga Union School District. She has spent the past 10 years volunteering at Community Hospital of Los Gatos.
The Swansons' anniversary party was organized and attended by their four children, Shirlee McKibbin, Sandra Haynes, Susan Fox and Rick Swanson. Also attending were their grandchildren, Kelly, Sam, Scott, Carrie, Stephen, Nathan and Amy; and their great-grandchildren, Tashia, Taylor and Christopher.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
