September 26, 2007

A couple that has been married 76 years and another couple that's been married 70 years will be among the couples that will be honored at the Diocese of Allentown's 28th annual Anniversary celebration this Sunday.

Herman and Marie Neagley of Bethlehem were married on June 20, 1931. They are the longest married of the 245 couples that are expected to attend the celebration at the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena in Allentown, which is scheduled for 3 PM.

William and Frances Clemson of Tamaqua were married September 25, 1937. Among the couples to be honored they have been married the second longest. 29 other couples that have been married 60 or more years have also registered. In total the couples to be honored have been married more than 10,000 years.

The Most Reverend Edward P. Cullen, D.D., Bishop of Allentown will celebrate Mass at the event. Each of the couples in attendance will receive a personalized certificate signed by Bishop Cullen.

The Diocesan Office of Family Life Ministries sponsors the annual celebration. Couples celebrating five, ten, twenty-five, forty, fifty and sixty or more years of marriage are invited.

Among the couples attending this year are brothers James and Lawrence Frare of Nazareth. Both James and his wife Marylouise and Lawrence and his wife Kathleen are celebrating their 40th anniversaries this year.

Also three siblings will celebrate their anniversaries together at this year's event. Jerome and Patricia Stevens of Barnesville will celebrate their 28th. Ronald and Carole Lapinsky of Fleetwood will celebrate their 40th and Ivor and Eleanor Lewis will celebrate their 50th. Eleanor Lewis and Patricia Stevens are the sisters of Ronald Lapinsky.

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