Jeri and John Wiedenhofer

John and Jeri Wiedenhofer were married 50 years ago on Sept. 29, 1969 in Covington, Kentucky, while he was stationed right over the border at his base in Wilmington, Ohio.

John was sent to Vietnam in late June, 1970. Nearly three weeks later, he was shot and seriously wounded, spending a year and nine months in Valley Forge Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. After several surgeries, John retired from the Army and came home, where he received the Purple Heart at a ceremony held in Westfield.

He and his family moved into their home on Berry Street in Fredonia in 1974, where they still reside. John was appointed Chautaqua County Clerk, serving as Director of Motor Vehicles. Following his retirement from there, he went on to work in the Dunkirk Post Office as a postal clerk for 30 years.

Jeri owned and operated her salon, Jeri’s Hairstyles, from which she retired 1991 when she became a grandmother. She is Treasurer of the Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary. John has been a member of the Fredonia Fire Department for 39 years and is Secretary of the M.M. Fenner Hose Co No. 2.

John is a graduate of Cardinal Mindzenty and Jeri graduated from Fredonia. Now that they are retired, they recently went on their first cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

They have two children, three grandsons, ages 28, 18, and 15, and a great granddaughter, who is one and a half.