Clyde and Millie Patzke were among the more than 60 milestone anniversary couples to attend the Jubilarian Wedding Anniversary Mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on Sunday, Sept. 29.
By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
GREEN BAY — Some walked arm in arm, others held hands as they entered St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay on Sunday, Sept. 29. Married couples celebrating milestone anniversaries — 25, 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 years — gathered for a bilingual Jubilarian Wedding Anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken.
Among the more than 60 couples celebrating were Clyde and Millie Patzke of St. John Parish in Menasha. They will celebrate 70 years of marriage on Nov. 13.
“I remember it well,” said Clyde about their wedding at St. Joseph Church in Green Bay. They were married by Fr. Joseph Diny.
“(Norbertine) Fr. (Richard) Mullroy was my principal in high school at Catholic Central (Green Bay). He was in attendance at our wedding,” he said. “I think there were only three lay teachers at Central Catholic when I was here. All the rest were Norbertines.”
St. Joseph was Clyde’s home parish. He attended St. Joseph School as a third grader (the year it opened) through eighth grade before moving on to Catholic Central High School.
Millie, also a “west sider,” is a graduate of Green Bay West High School. She grew up Episcopalian and entered the Catholic Church through St. Willebrord Parish in Green Bay a couple months before their wedding in 1954.
The Patzkes lived in Green Bay for most of the first three years of their marriage before moving to Menasha for Clyde’s job. He was a bookkeeper for grocers, primarily Food Queen.
Millie was a homemaker. “She raised the family,” said Clyde.
They have four children (two born in Green Bay and two born in Menasha), eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Their daughter, KC Reshel, and her son, Beau Reshel, accompanied them to the anniversary Mass.
Both Clyde, 93, and Millie, 94, were active at St. John Parish as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion. Clyde also served as a trustee.
“I remember the (Communion) rail,” said Millie.
They have fond memories of time spent with their friend, Bishop John Grellinger, when he resided at the St. John Parish rectory. Born Nov. 5, 1899, he was auxiliary bishop to the Diocese of Green Bay from 1949 to 1974. Millie recalls going with the bishop for ice cream. They also invited Bishop Grellinger to their home for cookouts. He died on April 13, 1984.
“He came to my mother and dad’s 60th (anniversary),” said Clyde. “My dad was not Catholic. He thought that was pretty snazzy — he had a bishop sitting at the same table with him.”
The Patzkes have lived out their faith in retirement as volunteers. Millie served at the main entrance of Theda Clark Regional Medical Center in Neenah. She enjoyed the first few days at the hospital so much, that she invited Clyde to become a patient escort. Together, they served 25 years at Theda Clark. Millie also volunteered at the St. Joseph Food Program in Menasha.
Both Clyde and Millie said that they were pleasantly surprised to see Fr. Michael Lightner, administrator at St. John Parish and St. Mary Parish in Menasha, at the anniversary Mass. Fr. Lightner concelebrated.
Two other couples also celebrated 70 years of marriage: Aaron and Carol Naze of St. Bernard Parish, Green Bay, and Eugene and Florence Svatek of St. Anne Parish, Francis Creek.
Carl Ferrando-Bowling, Family Life director of the Office of Family Life for the Diocese of Green Bay, announced that the couples attending the Jubilarian Wedding Anniversary Mass had 2,855 combined years of marriage.
In his homily, Bishop Ricken pointed to a letter printed in the Mass worship aid from Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
“Sustained by Christ’s love, may you continue along the path of holiness that the Lord has sanctified by the sacrament of matrimony” was among the messages shared in Cardinal Pierre’s letter, dated Sept. 2.
Bishop Ricken also thanked the anniversary couples for being “a great gift to the church” and for their “witness and fidelity.” He offered a blessing before the dismissal.
“We will see you in five years,” said Clyde with a laugh following the Mass.
He noted that he needed to get back to cracking 120 pounds of hickory nuts for Millie to use in her baking.
“She’s in the kitchen every day for about five hours,” he said. “She bakes cookies constantly. There’s four ice cream buckets of cookies in the freezer.”
A walk is part of the couple’s daily routine.
“We walk every day. He likes to walk in the afternoon. I like to go in the morning, so we decided on 10 a.m.,” she said with a laugh.
So, is compromise the key to a 70-year marriage?
“Patience,” said Millie with a smile.
“We took a vow and followed it,” said Clyde.
