Brandon Twp.- They met at the corner sweet shop on the east side of Detroit in 1943.
Betty was 15 and Guy Mattana was 17 and a paper boy for the Detroit Free Press.
‘He looked cute on that bike,? says Betty, smiling.
In those days, a Pepsi-Cola was a nickel for a 12-ounce bottle, recalls Guy, and could be shared.
Their first date was a double date with Betty’s sister and her boyfriend, who was a friend of Guy’s. They went to an amusement park. She was shy. He was naive.
He joined the Army Air Force in March 1944 and was an armored gunner/staff sergeant that flew on B-17s. He flew 24 missions over Germany in World War II and wrote to Betty everyday.
Does absence make the heart grow fonder?
‘Absolutely,? says Guy.
What did the letters say?
‘Lots of ‘I love yous? and ‘I miss yous,? says Betty, who adds they had their own secret code on the outside of the envelope? ‘pegf,? for pre-engaged girlfriend. ‘We were very much in love.?
When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, Guy flew back to the United States. He thought he would be redeployed to the Pacific arena and was at a base in Florida when he was told, ‘You’ve done enough.? He was discharged in December 1945 and arrived home just in time for Christmas.
‘We picked him up at the train station,? Betty remembers. ‘We had never kissed publicly and I can picture us in the back of his dad’s car.?
The ‘pre-engaged girlfriend? became formally engaged on Sweetest Day in October 1947.
‘How did I propose?? laughs Guy. ‘It was a given.?
The couple wed on May 8, 1948 at St. Anthony’s Church in Detroit. Everything went smoothly, although some meat and food were still difficult to obtain after war rationing. They had a hard time getting a band, too. Their song has always been ‘Moonlight Serenade? by the Glenn Miller Band? the song that played on the car radio at 11 p.m. every night, the time Betty had to be home after dates with Guy. But they didn’t dance to that song at their wedding because their ‘band?’consisting of a classmate of Betty’s who played the accordion and the girl’s drum player brother’didn’t know it. Instead, they danced to ‘Two Spanish Eyes.? Multiple times.
It didn’t matter. Sixty years later, the music is still playing and Guy and Betty are preparing to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
‘Our basis for a long and happy marriage is we pledged we would never say or do anything to hurt each other,? says Betty, 79.
‘We’re sensitive and when you really love a person, you’ll do anything to keep from hurting them,? Guy, 82, agrees, and then says, laughing, ‘Besides, if something happened to us, it’d be too hard to break in another one.?
Guy’s parents lived in California and couldn’t make the wedding, so afterward, Guy and Betty drove to California for a month-long honeymoon.
Guy worked for Chrysler in the executive garage as a mechanic, but the company went on strike for 100 days shortly after he and Betty married.
‘We needed money so bad,? he recalled. ‘I got so perturbed that when the strike was over, I went back and quit.?
Betty was a secretary at an insurance agency and Guy joined her there as a door-to-door insurance salesman. He wound up owning the agency and retired in 1989 after 40 years.
The couple bought their first home, a 2-bedroom, in Detroit for $4,000. Four years after they married, their first child, Guy, was born. Betty became a stay-at-home-mother. Bill was born in 1954. Guy and Betty sold their home for $7,000 and moved to East Detroit. Their daughter, Kathleen, was born in 1956 and their youngest child, Robert, was born in 1958. Guy says they are fortunate? all their children are successful, with good marriages. Guy and Betty have been blessed with 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
‘We’re content and happy because we have no financial worries, no family worries,? Guy said. ‘You need to live within your means and appreciate what you’ve got. I think nowadays, money has a lot to do with why marriages fail. Couples get in a stressful situation.?
Betty says she and Guy always budgeted to live within their means and in 1975 they bought a cottage on Bald Eagle Lake. In 1988, they built a house where the cottage was and have lived here ever since.
They faced health struggles together; Guy nearly died from a ruptured gallbladder in 1967 and faced prostate cancer a few years ago, but they have come through everything together? the way they prefer to be. They have traveled extensively, including Europe, and Betty says they have never been bored with each other. They like working outside together and a large part of their life is their membership in the Venetian Club, a social organization.
What is their secret to a long and happy marriage?
‘Love and respect each other,? says Betty. ‘Never go to bed mad.?
‘Always be respectful,? says Guy. ‘If your husband loves sports or something? even if you don’t love it? try and go with him.?
‘Then he’ll watch movies with you like ‘Atonement,?? Betty adds, smiling.
She also is a fan of lots of hugs and kisses.
‘We just enjoy being together,? Betty said.
She and Guy smile at each other across the table.
‘We’re making it sound so good,? he says.
She laughs before asking him, ‘Want to go around one more time??