September 14, 2026 – Slinger, Wi – A special blessing during Mass at St. Peter’s Parish in Slinger on Saturday as Rev. Rick Stoffel presided over a renewal of wedding vows for Owen and Marion Schickert who celebrated their 70th anniversary.
The couple, both lifelong residents of the Slinger area, were married when Marion was 19 and Owen was 21. Today, Owen is 91 and will turn 92 on Nov. 4. Marion will celebrate her 90th birthday on Dec. 3. “We just listen to each other,” said Marion when asked the secret to seven decades together.
The Schickerts have stayed active throughout their marriage, tending to their gardens and spending time outdoors. When they were younger, camping was a favorite family activity, and they traveled with their three sons.
The couple met at a wedding dance at Zivko’s, what is now the Chandelier Ballroom in Hartford, Wi.
“I went with a couple girlfriends,” Marion recalled. “I saw Owen and thought he was cute.”
Owen said, “My heart jumped when I saw her. We went out on a date two weeks later.”
Owen was known for his curly hair and earned the nickname “Curly” while working during high school. Marion said that nickname has stuck with him through the years.
Their early marriage included a difficult separation when Owen was drafted into the Army and served two years in Korea. The couple had been married only a short time when he left on April 16.
Although the couple had purchased a home on Friess Lake, they rented it out while Owen was overseas and Marion lived in a boardinghouse in West Bend. The couple kept in touch through letters.
”I wrote everyday,” said Marion. “He said the letters came in bunches.”
Despite the distance, the couple made it through those two years and continued building their life together.
Marion worked as a waitress at the Hilt Cafe and hotel in Hartford. “They had a drug store in front, a cafe in back, and a hotel on the second and third floors,” said Marion. After that job she worked at a casing factory. Owen worked in maintenance at Holy Hill before spending more than 30 years at the Cedar Lake campus.
The couple raised three sons: Bob, David and Bill. Their son David died one year ago after battling cancer for more than six years. Saturday’s Mass also honored his memory.
Faith has remained an important part of the Schickerts’ marriage. Marion said they made every effort to attend Mass, missing only when they were sick.
Over the years, the couple enjoyed camping with their family, owning a trailer near Eagle River and building a home along the Mississippi River in Lynxville.
After 70 years together, Marion said she is surprised by people’s reaction to their longevity. “I didn’t know it was such an impossible thing,” she said about spending a lifetime with one person.
On a side note:
-Marion said she went to St. Peter’s School in Slinger and then West Bend Vocational School. “It was located next to the Masonic Temple and the Washington House,” she said. “The school had a basement floor and I think there was a second floor. There were about 40 students. We mostly had regular classes like high school and I left there when I was 16 and started working in Hartford.”
Click HERE to read more about Hilt’s Cafe in Hartford, Wi
-After high school Marion said it was very hard to get a job. “I hated the casing factory, so after that I went to Badger Lab in Jackson and later Wesbar. Questioned if she ever worked with Gail Bonefant, Marion was quick to answer. “Oh yes I did. She was a NUT,” she said lovingly remembering the pair got into their fair share of trouble.
-Marion paid $65 for her wedding dress and got it at a shop on Mitchell Street in Milwaukee. Owen’s tux was from Woolen Mills in West Bend.
