Second
chance at
love
Manchester creates lifelong bond for California neighbors
F
or years, a well-worn path connected the
Modesto, Calif., homes of two Manchester
families. When Mary Baucher ’52 and Gene
Palsgove ’48 lost their longtime spouses a few
years ago, the path led them to a second chance at love
and marriage.
In the early 1950s, Bob Baucher ’52 and his bride
Mary (Bowman) left the Midwest for
Modesto where Bob had a junior high
school teaching job. The Bauchers
built a home in a 19-acre walnut grove
and, several years later, offered a lot to
two other Manchester graduates who
had settled in Modesto, Gene ’48 and
Lenore Butterbaugh Palsgrove ’48.
Mary and Lenore both grew up in Oak
Park, Ill., and, though the couples didn’t
know each other well, “we knew the
values we shared,” said Mary. As it turned
Mary ’52 and Bob Baucher ’52 (left) and Gene ’48
and Lenore Palsgrove ’48 (right) were longtime
neighbors and friends. After their spouses died,
Mary and Gene (top photo) married each other.