Serving our Seniors Magazine January - March 2025

You’re Never Too Old A Story of Love and Life to see what was going on. Then I would leave and come back home. One day, when the boys were in college, we were sitting around the table, eating. My boys asked me, ‘Dad, remember when you would let us go to parties at our friends?’ Chester said, “Yeah, I do.” Then they asked, “Why were you always following us?” Everyone broke out laughing. The first time Chester went to Michigan to meet Beth’s parents, he was nervous. He planned to take Beth to her parents’ home, leave and travel on to Canada. He was going to come back to get her, when she was ready. He said, “I pulled into the drive way and her mother came out. She told me, ‘You have to come on in and rest. You can’t just leave and go to Canada.’” Later, Beth’s mother insisted Chester get his luggage out of the car and stay. Chester said, “She told me what bedroom I was to use. I walked in the room…” As he was telling this story, Chester started to laugh, and said, “What do you think was mounted above the bed? … A gun! I still stayed.” Beth’s family was known for their warmth and friendliness. Still, Chester acknowledged the unique experience of living in a community with no other minority residents. Reflecting on this, he shared, “It was odd to be in a community where there weren’t any people who were black. I thought it might be a problem for me, but it never was.” Nathan and Nic have been encouraging their father, since they were teenagers, to write a book. They grew up listening to their father’s life stories and thought they should be saved. Chester became motivated to write the book, after they attended a seminar at the Sandusky Library. The library hosted an author and an agent, who explained the process of writing and publishing a book. To illustrate how the couple’s relationship continues to be filled with ambition and supportive teamwork, Chester did write his stories, to create his memoir, Threads of Resilience: Woven Stories of My Life. He wrote each story by hand. Beth would type it into the computer. They would talk about it and edit it, together. Beth said, “It was an interesting creative process. When you are reading someone’s draft, there is a lot of discussion. It took over a year to write.” With the help of their sons, they found an editor on Fiverr (A website where a person can hire a free- lancer in any profession. www.fiverr.com ). They contracted with a free-lancer to edit the book and another to design the cover of the book. Beth said, “I learned a lot and Chester did, too. We have always worked well together and we know how to get things done. Writing and publishing a book was a learning experience for both of us.” From Chester’s perspective, “It was hard. I think I started over a thousand times. I never thought I could do it. Then he cracked a joke and said, “Now, my wife wants me to become another Stephen King.” Beth enjoyed having the discussions of what to write. “When you’ve been with someone for 50 years, it’s nice to have new things to talk about and work on together. Especially now that we are retired. I really appreciated this experience.” Since the book has become available on Amazon, Chester is frequently asked by those he knows, if he put their name in his book. Chester explains, “I didn’t put anyone’s name in the book, if I didn’t get their permission.” That was one of the important lessons they learned from the seminar. If you use a name without permission, the author risks being sued. The two shared this newly gain knowledge with their son, Nic. When Nic read the book and saw his name in it, he told his parents, – as a joke – “I’ll see you in court.” The book became available through Amazon on September 4, 2024. The couple stated the comments / reviews of the book have been very interesting. Many people have purchased the book 15