July 29, 2021 at 11:43 a.m.
Destined: Red and Trudy Jenkins celebrate 70th wedding anniversary
Destined: Red and Trudy Jenkins celebrate 70th wedding anniversary
As children in the third grade at Pine Grove School, little Trudy Wegner was cast in a school play as "Sun Bonnet Sally", wife of "Overall Jim" played by young Red Jenkins.
Their families later relocated, but the two reconnected in their late teens while working as potato pickers in the Enterprise area. According to family lore, the wise field owner would put young Red on one end of the row and Miss Trudy on the other and that potato row was picked mighty fast as the two would hurry to meet in the middle.
Only four days after Red's 18th birthday, on July 28, 1951, he took Miss Trudy Wegner as his bride. The couple were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Rhinelander. Their wedding day had a few bumps on the way to the altar: a flat tire, engine troubles, and a delayed ceremony while Mrs. Johnson had to retrieve a forgetful Reverend Johnson from fishing to perform the ceremony.
As newlyweds, they moved around the state growing their family, eventually settling in the Enterprise area. They would raise six children: John, Ruth, Karen, twins Mike and Pat, and June. The family has grown by 16 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson so far. Much like their wedding day, life presented many bumps, the greatest being the loss of their son Mike at age 17. But as always they persevered with quiet grace and strength.
Trudy, after raising the children, returned to work at St. Mary's Hospital and later Rhinelander High School, eventually retiring in 1995. Red was a logger and welder throughout his life, retiring from Marplex in 1994.
The couple are known for their humor, storytelling, and dance skills, especially Polkas. In retirement they became casino bums which is where they planned to celebrate this milestone anniversary, along with a family cookout.
Their children want to thank them for teaching them that marriage is hard work, but through laughter, loyalty, and commitment true love stories really do come true.
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