The Sylvesters Celebrate Their Golden Anniversary
Feb. 2, a date commonly associated with Punxsutawney Phil and his annual Groundhog Day prediction, holds a much deeper significance for Greens residents Ernie and Beth Sylvester. The date marks their wedding anniversary. And this year marks 50 years since the couple said, “I do.”
It is a love story that began during the summer of 1961 in Gulfport, MS. Ernie, who was on summer break from his studies at the University of Southern Mississippi, was working as a deck hand on a yacht. Beth, who had recently graduated high school, was at the docks looking for a summer job. They spotted each other and it was love at first sight. “When I first saw Ernie, I knew he was the man I would marry,” Beth admits.
That evening, both Beth and Ernie attended a dance at the yacht club. Beth had a blind date in tow, but she only had eyes for Ernie. As for Ernie, he had been swept off his feet. “Beth was a wonderful dancer,” Ernie recalls. “Although, I wasn’t so bad myself,” he adds with a wry smile. Neither would date another after that night.
Following graduation, Beth joined Ernie at USM, but in February of that year, anxious to begin their life together, they decided to elope. A pair of friends, a best man for Ernie and a maid of honor for Beth, made last-minute arrangements (hence the Groundhog Day date) and accompanied them on the 90-mile trek to a small Methodist church in Chickasaw, AL.
Crossing the state line allowed Beth, 18, and Ernie, 21, to marry legally without parental consent. Despite their shoestring budget, Ernie managed to treat Beth to a honeymoon – a night's stay at the Spanish Fort Lodge on Mobile Bay and a couple of 25-cent hamburgers from McDonald’s, a newfangled fast-food joint that was sweeping the nation. The newlyweds then returned to school…and to their separate dorm rooms. Their parents were none the wiser until Ernie and Beth made their next trip home and decided it was time to come clean.
Ernie graduated from USM that fall and was commissioned into the U.S. Army. Beth decided to leave school and devote herself to life as a military wife, becoming pregnant with their first child just before Ernie headed off to flight school to train as a MEDEVAC pilot.
This time apart would be indicative of life to come. Following flight school, Ernie served two tours in Vietnam, meaning the couple would spend only two of their first five years of marriage together, leaving Beth on her own for the birth of the first two of their three children. While some would joke that the time apart explains the longevity of their marriage, Ernie is quick to point out that it was Beth’s strength that kept the marriage intact. “She is the anchor of this family,” Ernie asserts.
Time apart would not be their only challenge; there were also the frequent moves – 25 total in their 50 years together. Both Beth and Ernie, however, understood these excessive demands were simply part of military life. “Every move we made was because there was a specific mission to be accomplished and I was needed to help complete that mission,” Ernie states.
After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army, Ernie left the military for a career in health care administration, a career that would entail more moves. Then came the news that would bring them to Westchase. Their grandson, Jared, had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Beth and Ernie made frequent trips from their home in Fort Walton Beach, FL, to their daughter’s Westchase home to offer their support during Jared's treatments and spend time with him during his remission. During this time they realized being close to family took precedence and they moved to Westchase in 2000. Despite a valiant fight, Jared succumbed to his disease on Sept. 11, 2001.
Though the circumstances of their move to Westchase were devastating, they have grown to love this neighborhood. A tree in Baybridge Park honoring Jared’s memory is a testament to the sense of community found here.
Ernie, now retired, gives back to the community by serving on Westchase’s Community Development District (CDD) Board and he is also the president of WOW’s Board of Directors. Beth and Ernie are both active volunteers in their church.
Through good and bad, in sickness and in health, their love has endured. So what is the secret to 50 years? Patience is key, Beth and Ernie agree. Forgiveness and their faith play a large role as well. The most important factor, however, is family. As Ernie points out, a successful marriage “is not a single person; it is a family.”
Happy 50th Anniversary, Beth and Ernie, from all of us in your Westchase family!
By Karen Ring