Reichs celebrate 75 years of love and laughter

MOSES LAKE — John (Smokey) Reich, 94, and Marjorie Reich, 93, will celebrate 75 years of wedded bliss on June 30. They were set up to go on a blind date by Smokey’s sister who was a friend of Margie’s. First glance did it for him! Her, not so much; she thought he was cocky, but she liked something about him. Courting consisted of visiting family, fishing, ordering milkshakes and long mountain drives. She remembers one of those drives in particular when he stopped his car, jumped out, ran up an embankment and picked a yellow wildflower for her. Yellow flowers are still her favorite to this day. Three months later they were married. They were in Missoula, Montana and it was 1951. She was 18 and he was 19 years old. She needed a wedding dress, so her mother lovingly repurposed a prom dress. Soon after a honeymoon fishing on Seely Lake, the newlyweds were both working in Seattle. John was working for Boeing and Marge was working at Western Union.