Morrison County Record 2020 Bridal Guide | Page 10
10 • 2020 Bridal • Morrison County Record • www.mcrecord.com
Little Falls couple celebrates 58 years of blossoming love
to get married, but her mother said no.
“I didn’t tell her about it until April and
we wanted to get married in June, so she
[email protected]
thought it was too soon. She said, ‘You
know, December would be a really nice
It is with an indescribable joy Jay and
Dianne Spillum of Little Falls celebrate 58 time to have a wedding,’” Dianne said.
years of marriage. When they got married “She thought that by then we would
have broken up. She told everybody at the
Dec. 16, 1961, they didn’t really think
about what life would be more than half a wedding reception that she would be sur-
century later. They just took it day-by-day prised if the marriage lasted longer than a
year, But she changed her mind over time,”
and that is how they continue to live their
Jay said.
lives.
Shortly after
The two met when
“You give a little and
they married, Jay
Dianne was still a
you take a little.”
and Dianne moved
junior at West High
— Jay Spillum
to Moorhead as he
School in Minneap-
started studying at the
olis. He had dropped
Minnesota State University in pursuit of
out from the University of Jamestown in
a degree in mathematics and a minor in
Jamestown, N.D. to attend a radio school
in the Twin Cities to learn more about the physical education.
Dianne also became pregnant with
programming side of broadcasting.
“Four of us guys moved into an apart- their first child, Tanya, and by the time Jay
graduated in 1964, she had also given birth
ment upstairs and it was just next door to
to their second child, Betty. At that time,
where she was,” Jay said.
they were renting a basement.
A young lady and curious about the
Rather than to delay his job hunt as
boys, Dianne said she used to watch for
many students did, Jay started looking
them when they took out their trash.
“I would look out the window and say, for different teaching openings. It even-
tually led them to Little Falls where he
‘Mom, I think the garbage needs to go
first taught mathematics at the Little Falls
out,’” she said.
Dianne said she wasn’t interested in any Junior High School for eight years and
then taught an additional 25 years at the
of the particular boys, but it didn’t take
long for Jay to take an interest in her. Over Little Falls Community High School until
time, it became rather common for the two he retired in 1997.
to take strolls, go to church together, watch They also had four more children, Mar-
nie, Jason, Sara and Julie.
hockey tournaments and just hang out.
Throughout the years, Dianne was a
“We didn’t have a lot of money so we
stay-at-home mom. She also started pro-
did things that didn’t cost anything,” she
viding child care for people. Since she and
said.
Jay wanted their children to attend college,
There wasn’t any big proposal from ei-
ther of them. Marriage was just something the money she made from providing child
care was given to their children to help pay
they had talked about and it was just the
for their college tuition.
next step in their journey.
In addition, to supplement their income,
Dianne said she recalls when she told
Jay had a second job and worked at a gas
her mom, Helen, that she and Jay wanted
By SHEILA MCCOY
Staff Writer
LET US HELP WITH YOUR
Wedding Day
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Staff photo by Sheila McCoy
Dianne, left, and Jay Spillum celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in December 2019.
station for five years.
Looking back at their marriage, Jay and
Dianne said it has been a good journey. To
them, the secret to having a long and suc-
cessful marriage is to work at it together.
“You give a little and you take a little,”
he said.
As any couple, they’ve encountered a
few bumps in the road along the way, but
nothing major.
“Mostly we agree on a lot of things.
There were a few things we disagreed on,”
he said.
(Continued on Page 11)
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