Ortonville? In 1940, at the beginning stages of World War II in a small dance hall near Eastburn, England, George Craven, 19, a solider in the Royal British Army asked a local girl Mary Lund, 22, to dance.
That dance lasted more than 60 years.
In 1942 the couple were married at St. Thomas Church in Sutton-in-Craven, England while George was on a 72 hour leave.
‘They were worried the Nazis were going to invade at Weymouth (England), so my leave for my marriage was uncertain,? said George. ‘They (Nazis) never invaded and I ended up with a 10 day pass.?
George, who served in the Royal Artillery from 1941 to 1946 was stationed in several counties during the war including Scotland, the Shetland Islands and India. Mary worked in a munitions plant and later a textile plant that produced military uniforms near their home, while she cared for their growing family which included Michael born in 1944; Colin 1946; Philip 1948 and Helen 1949.
Following the death of their 3-year- old son Philip in 1951, both Mary and George opted to leave England with the sponsorship of Mary’s aunt who lived in Dearborn, MI. The sponsorship was a two-year commitment, required by the government to assure the family was supported financially once they arrived in America.
The move, says George, was for a better life and new opportunities in the United States.
So, in early April, 1953, George along with sons Michael, 9, and Colin, 7, boarded the Queen Elizabeth I and sailed from South Hampton, England to New York City.
‘It’s not until you see the Statue of Liberty do you realize you’re in America,? said George, who then drove to Dearborn with Mary’s cousin.
‘I remember thinking how different everything looked compared to the English countryside with its narrow little roads’then you drive on these wide and long highways’everything seemed so big.?
The next few months were very difficult, says George, the boys were very homesick and were often alone since he worked the night shift at the River Rouge Steel Plant where he landed his first job in America.
The following July, 1953 Mary along with Helen, 3, their only daughter sailed on the HMS Britannia from Liverpool (England) to New York City. The seven day journey across the Atlantic reunited the family in Michigan.
‘I remember I was scared, especially since George was not at the dock when we arrived,? said Mary. ‘I remember the Statue (of Liberty) was so big’they called us up on deck when it first appeared on the horizon.?
After leaving the steel mill, George then worked selling replacement windows before landing his dream job as a gardener for the Wilson family in Clarkston where he worked for more than 40 years until he retired in 1995.
In 1955, Ronny was born, the couple’s only child born in the United States. The pair became United States citizens in April, 1964 in the first group to do so at the Oakland County Courthouse on Telegraph Road which had just opened.
Now nearly 50 years after arriving in the United States the couple agree that the move was difficult, yet well worth the hardships.
‘Live is way better here’even after all we’ve been through,? said George. ‘You don’t really turn your back on your country. Yet you have to let go of your land where you were born.?
The couple, who live in Clarkston and frequent the Brandon Senior Center in Ortonville, boast of 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren agree that while England is nice to visit, America has much more to offer.
‘We’re still happy to be here,? said Mary. ‘I have family members in England, I guess both countries are my home.?