Richard and Joyce Johnson of Cassadaga celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on July 11. So did Dean and Jean Stubbs of Nevada.
The two couples shared a double wedding at the Dunkirk Methodist Church with the Rev. Arthur Crawford performing the service.
Joyce and Jean are the daughters of the late Louis and Cecile Bemus, who lived with their children on Glasgow Road outside of Cassadaga.
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Brides for the Bemus girls’ double wedding 60 years ago were Jean and Joyce (center). The grooms were Dean Stubbs (left) and Richard Johnson (right). Dean’s best man was James Stone and Jean’s maid of honor was Jean Stubbs. Dorothy Crowell was Joyce’s maid of honor and Donald Bemus was Richard’s best man.
Joyce and Richard met in Fredonia where he worked in the meat department at the former Loblaws.
"I used to accompany my mother when she went shopping on Saturday and that's how I met Dick," Joyce says.
Dick says he was taken by Joyce's sweet smile and dimples.
The couple became engaged at Christmas 1949 and Jean and Dean, who met in Rushford where Jean was a teacher, became engaged at Easter.
"We both wanted to get married the same year (1950), so we decided to have a double wedding," Joyce recalls.
Donald Bemus, Joyce's older brother, was Dick's best man and Dorothy Crowell, Dick's cousin, was Joyce's maid of honor.
Dean had James Stone of Binghamton as his best man and Jean had Dean's twin sister, also named Jean, as her maid of honor.
It was truly a family affair.
"There were 300 people at the wedding, we had members of the Bemus, Johnson and Stubbs families attending the happy event," Joyce says, noting she can still recall all that took place.
Both couples are now retired.
Dick continued his profession as a butcher and Joyce was the librarian for the Cassadaga Branch Library.
The Johnson's children, son Rick and his wife, April and daughter Kathie Chaffee hosted a reception for their parents at the Red House in Cassadaga.
Joyce says Jean and Dean also celebrated their anniversary in Nevada.
"We have a good life together," Dick says of his marriage to Joyce.
It is remarkable, these days, to mark a 60th wedding anniversary.
It is rarer still to have the couples who took part in a double wedding 60 years ago able to celebrate this milestone anniversary.
