GALION — Ray and Helen Crase probably won’t go out for Valentines’ Day dinner this year. No fresh flowers or fancy chocolates either. After more than 70 years together, these sweethearts are perfectly content to stay home on Cupid’s favorite holiday.
They like it that way.
Ray, 88, and Helen, who turns 88 on Feb. 27, just celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary Jan. 20. Four children, five grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren later, they say the key to their long and happy marriage is simple.
“I think it’s mostly been 50-50 most of the time,” Helen said. “And even if we have a disagreement, we don’t pout about it. It usually doesn’t last.”
Her “honey” agreed. While they have had their differences over the years, he said, it all boils down to one thing.
“All my answers have always been, ‘I don’t recall ever going to sleep upset at her,’” he said.
Ray, who was born in the hills of Myrtle, Missouri, moved to Galion in 1948 after finishing high school. In the beginning, the 17-year-old had his eyes on Helen’s sister, Carolyn Fagan. And Helen for a while dated Ray’s brother, Harold “Bud” Crase.
That was about to change.
One Sunday afternoon, Ray was introduced to Helen at the restaurant in Tiro where she worked as a waitress. He asked her to a “picture show” in Shelby. Then they went roller skating and square dancing.
“I was the biggest kid on roller skates and that wasn’t very big,” he joked.
In late 1949, the teenagers got engaged. They were married Jan. 20, 1950 in a small ceremony at her mother’s house on Robinson Street in Tiro. She wore her high school prom dress. Carolyn was maid of honor. Bud was best man.
Back then, Ray was an assistant installer for the former North Electric Co. in Galion and was gone a lot during the week. She worked briefly at Shelby Mutual Insurance, then at Stratbury Manufacturing and Dean’s Family Store in Galion.
The Crases had four children between 1951 and 1958. They raised their family, planted a large garden every year, and she canned corn, beans and tomatoes.
“The old country farmer in me, you had to have a good garden,” Ray said.
Ray played softball on a fast-pitch league in town, while Helen sewed clothes for the children, crocheted afghans and volunteered at Red Cross bloodmobiles. They especially enjoyed family outings on Lake Erie fishing for perch and walleye on their 26-foot Skiff Craft.
“If our parents ever fought, we never heard them,” said their youngest daughter, Carol Jones of Galion. “I can honestly never remember our parents being in an argument. We always had dinner together and everyone talked about our day.”
Ray took early retirement from PECO after 37 years, then worked part-time for Crase Communications Inc. in Galion. In 2000, they finally said farewell to their home of 46 years on Wilson Avenue and moved to a ranch on the west side of town.
Ray still plants a garden, mostly tomato plants nowadays. He also mows the lawn and does all the trimming. Helen enjoys reading and doing crossword puzzles. But they both admit that their family is their greatest source of pride and enjoyment.
“They’re our rocks. They’ve always been there thick and thin,” said Jones, who stopped by to have lunch with her parents on a break from work. “They’ve always been there for all of us, even for my kids and their kids.”
Ray and Helen probably like it that way.