Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and Ruth Hodson Reed will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their marriage in Seabrook, South Carolina, on June 4, 2012.

Life as a couple began in Argonia, Kansas in 1960, and they were married on April 7, 1962 in Wichita. With their four children Kristina, Jana, Justin and Leslie, it has extended as far as Wurzburg, Germany and Needham, Massachusetts, as well as towns in Kansas, Texas and Illinois.

After an earlier period in the Army Reserve, Stan joined the U.S. Army as an active duty enlisted man in 1967. He proudly served two tours of duty in Vietnam, where he won the Bronze Star and two Purple Heart decorations. He retired from the military at the rank of Major in 1987, and went into private business as a defense consultant. He later served as the Superintendent of the Kansas Soldiers’ Home in Fort Dodge- just outside Dodge City- from which he retired in 2000.

In addition to raising her children, Ruth drove a bus for the city of Wichita until she decided to go to college and earn a nursing degree, which she did in 1976. She went on to earn an advanced degree in 1994 and became a Nurse Practitioner in Dighton and Dodge City, before she and Stan settled in Marion in 2000, where she went into practice with her brother Don, an MD.

After Ruth retired in 2009, the happy couple has spent time travelling, visiting grandchildren and going on adventures. Their most recent has been gold mining in Stanton, Arizona, where Stan has perfected the art of panning and Ruth, after purchasing her first pistol, has become a real good shot.

Kristina Menezes and her husband Rodger and their children Lindsey and John Luke reside in Miami, Florida; Jana Marogil and husband Alfred and their children Paige and Adam reside in La Grange, Illinois; their son Justin Reed lives in New York City and their youngest child, Leslie Byriel and husband Troy and daughter Chloe live in Miami, Florida. Another child, Stacy Lynn Reed died in 1970.

The first time Stan saw Ruth singing in the high school choir in Argonia he thought he might like to talk to her. With his irresistible smile he boldly began a conversation that has endured to this day.

To accommodate the school schedules of their five grandchildren, Stan and Ruth will celebrate with their family on June 4th for the anniversary of their marriage on April 7, 1962.