By Ed Pierce
It takes a special type of loving relationship for married couples to reach their 75th wedding anniversary, but whatever it is, Arthur and Joan Wickham of Windham found it and have reached that important milestone.
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| Arthur and Joan Wickham of Windham are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary during a party with their family on Sunday. They were married on Aug. 18, 1951 at Holy cross Church in South Portland and have five children, eight grandchildren, 10 great- grandchildren and a great-great grandchild. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Arthur Wickham was born in Portland and a graduate of Cheverus High School when by chance went out on a blind date with a girl named Joan Sincyr who had just moved to South Portland from Skowhegan in 1950. Something clicked on that blind date between the two teenagers, and as they continued to date over the next year-and-a-half they fell in love and Arthur decided he was going to propose marriage to Joan, who attended South Portland High School.
She accepted his proposal and the couple were married on Aug. 18, 1951, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in South Portland, and are still happily together today.
Arthur worked as a medical supply and medical devices salesman and later as an executive for the George C. Frye Company in Portland, and he also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, rising to the rank of Colonel before retiring in 1992.
He attended Casco Bay College and graduated with a degree in business administration and management and has been active in many fraternal and veterans’ organizations through the years. He served as a department commander for the American Veterans in Maine (AMVETS), as the state president of the Association of the United States Army and the Reserve Officer’s Association, and he also completed studies at the U.S. Army Command and General College and the Air War College.
Yard work and gardening occupy much of Arthur’s time these days and he still mows his own grass and maintains the couple’s property as he has done for all the years that the couple has lived in Windham. He’s still interested in issues that affect military veterans.
Joan worked for the Portland Housing Authority as a secretary before her retirement. At home, she has always been a baker and loves to cook. She used to make her own quilts and enjoyed going out to play bingo whenever she could find the time to do so. She was also active when her children were young in the Campfire Girls organization.
To mark the occasion of their 75th wedding anniversary, the entire family will gather in Windham for a special meal on Sunday and possibly a surprise pontoon boat cruise on Sebago Lake. A lake cruise has become a cherished summer tradition for the Wickham Family and an annual way for family members to get together and celebrate Arthur and Joan’s wedding anniversary.
For many years Arthur and Joan Wickham would take the entire family to Bradbury Mountain State Park near Pownal for a fun-filled summer getaway and that gathering included a huge cookout, but that annual event has now shifted to the pontoon boat excursions on the lake.
Christmas celebrations at the couple’s Windham home were always meaningful for Arthur and Joan and their children because Joan’s birthday is Dec. 23, so they combine events and throw a huge holiday party every year because of the proximity of Christmas to Joan’s birthday.
Both Arthur and Joan Wickham say that the secret to sustaining a long and happy marriage isn’t complicated and is as important today as when they first said their vows in 1951.
“It’s all about communication and listening to each other,” they said. <
