After Brief War Wedding And 77 Years Marriage, Iowa Couple Repeat Ceremony In Style- With Wedding Gown

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Royce and Frankie King got married in 1944 without any fanfare. Royce was on a two-day leave before serving overseas. There was no time to prepare a major affair. Frankie wore a tailored suit instead of a gown. There was no photographer to snap shots of the loving couple.

The couple – who had met in high school, where they both played in the band, and continued their courtship with a 20-month engagement while Royce was stationed in Lawrenceville, Ill., and Frankie attended Cornell College and the University of Iowa – decided to marry before Royce left for the Far East.

77 years later, the two are still together. Royce weathered the rest of the war, serving with distinction as a carrier pilot in a Douglas C-47 plane with operations over the Himalayas. Later the couple had two children, four grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. The lack of an extravagant ceremony had not hampered their life together, but when staff members at St. Croix Hospice — who take care of the couple at their Oelwein home — learned there were no photographs to commemorate the Kings’ special day, they hatched a plan that included a vintage dress, 1940s hits, lots of photos and a cake.

There were no dry eyes on Sept. 24, said Sue Bilodeau, the Kings’ daughter.

“It was definitely one of the most special things ever,” she said. “When Mom mentioned she didn’t have time to plan a big wedding and didn’t have a photographer, the St. Croix staff members worked together to make sure they could get their special day.”

97-year-old Frankie wore a special 1940’s style vintage gown and sported a new hairdo from the salon. The couple’s backyard was decked out with an arch of flowers, the bride held a bouquet and Royce, 98, was not allowed to see his bride before the ceremony. He was helped by the staff into his Air Force uniform and waited outside with a handkerchief over his eyes.

“We walked Mom down the back steps and across the yard, and then she stood in front of Dad, and I said, ‘Are you ready to see your bride?’ before taking off the handkerchief,” Bilodeau said.

The couple and staff were transported back through the decades as the Kings’ music therapist played 1940s tunes on his saxophone and guitar during the celebration. Hilary Michelson, who works at St. Croix Hospice and is a part-time photographer, snapped the  couple throughout the day.

“Absolutely no shame in the fact that I had a hard time keeping it together behind the lens,” Michelson wrote on Facebook.

Heath Bartness, CEO of St. Croix, said that the event demonstrated “how there’s still so much kindness in the world.”

“The team really wanted to do this, and it’s amazing,” he said. “They provide such a wonderful care that can truly impact people.”