Joan and Rodney Houck celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary today.
The couple met in the late 1950s in the Bronx, at the Fort Schulyer Presbyterian Church where Rodney was a student minister and Joan was a parishioner. While both would say it might not have been "love at first sight," love quickly blossomed and the two were married during a very blustery winter storm on Dec. 27, 1959. A honeymoon in Puerto Rico followed.
The family soon grew with the addition of four children: Nancy, Russell, Douglas, and Joy. The family also lived in Jeffersonville, N.Y., Providence, R.I., Rochester and finally Fredonia, all areas where Rodney served as pastor of various Presbyterian churches. First a stay-at-home mother, Joan moved into two daycare positions, pursued a bachelor's degree in social work in her 50s, and is currently the director of the Dunkirk-Fredonia Meals on Wheels Program. Retired for several years, Rodney is Joan's ever-ready volunteer at Meals on Wheels and stays busy in such endeavors as peace and justice, the rural ministry, and the landlords' association. Joan and Rodney are grandma and grandpa to 10 grandchildren: Derek, Kaela, Abbey, Eric, Matthew, Renee, Harrison, Christopher, Carlson, and Parker.
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Joan and Rodney Houck
The entire Houck/Martin/Jones clan wishes a "happy 50th anniversary to a remarkable couple whose strong marriage has been a positive example for all of us."
