Tinley Park couple celebrate 73 years of marriage on same day as granddaughter’s wedding

A Tinley Park couple married for nearly three-quarters of a century recently got to share their anniversary on the same day as their granddaughter’s nuptials.

Albert and Evelyn Holup celebrated 73 years of marriage on June 20. Their 24-year-old granddaughter, Sarah, married her 26-year-old fiance, Joe Ventrella, the same day.

June 20 is not the only thing the two couples have in common. Both met in high school. For Albert, 93, and Evelyn, 92, it was junior year in English class, in Antigo, Wis., according to their son and Sarah’s father, Craig Holup.

Related: http://www.sheindressaustralia.com/short-wedding-dresses

Holup, 61, said his parents married on June 20, 1942. Albert served as an Army sergeant at a German POW camp in Alaska during World War II, and then as a drill sergeant in Texas during the Korean War.

The two moved to the Chicago area after the war, and Albert later got a job at Commonwealth Edison, where he worked for 36 years, Holup said. His mother, Evelyn, was a stay-at-home mom who sewed and did laundry for neighbors on the side, and was heavily involved in the community — including the Tinley Park Garden Club.

For Craig Holup’s daughter, Sarah, and Sarah’s fiance Joe, their fateful meeting came in 2007 when she was a sophomore and he was a senior at Tinley Park High School. Sarah’s basketball coach had encouraged Sarah to attend high school prom with Joe, her dad said.

Sarah and Joe were married June 20 at Landmark Chapel in Tinley Park. Albert and Evelyn and more than 100 family members and friends shared the special day with them.

“It was a tearjerker moment,” Craig Holup said of walking his daughter down the aisle.

“It was a very exciting and hectic day. It was extra special sharing it with my grandparents, It meant so much to my grandma. She got emotional every time she talked about it,” Sarah Holup said. “We made sure to tell them happy anniversary, gave them hugs, and even included them in our wedding program. They are such a great example of love and commitment.”

While Sarah and Joe are in the early stages of their marriage, Albert and Evelyn spend most of their days now soaking in nature whenever they can.

“My dad, he loves being outside,” Holup said of his dad Albert. The two often spend their days now admiring their nice gardens, and the birds in the yard.

See also: http://www.sheindressaustralia.com/mermaid-wedding-dresses