More than 59 years, six children and 18 grandchildren later, Sig is still my hero.
A wedding is always exciting, especially for a young woman wondering about her future. This one—my good friend Eleanor’s to Roy Thompson—took place March 22, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York.
After the ceremony, I was stranded, without a lift to the reception. Along came Sig Arneson, a friend of the groom’s, who approached me and asked, “Need a ride?”
Off we went in his dad’s big Buick to the reception, where I was surprised to see that the seating arrangements had Sig beside me. I later learned that my table companion had seen me occasionally at church and asked this favor of the bride.
Eleanor was greeting and chatting with guests when she backed up to a candle and her veil burst into flames! Before anyone else could act, Sig jumped up, pulled the veil off her head and stomped on it to put out the fire. I looked at this hero with new interest! Of course, he jokes now that he’d planned the whole fireman caper.
Sig drove me home after the wedding, and that reception turned out to be the start of a beautiful courtship. I later found out that when he got home that evening, he announced to his family, “Tonight I met the girl I’m going to marry!”
We were married in 1953, and more than 59 years, six children and 18 grandchildren later, Sig is still my hero.
Source:rd.com