Their love is here to stay

(Reposted from 2015 in honor of my father in-law’s birthday)

Had fate been just a little bit kinder and my father in-law a little less polite, we’d all have been at the race track yesterday.

We’d vet horses by name, number and jockey silk, and raise our glasses to one of the greatest teams we know, my in-laws, Mary Jane and Vince Biskupic.

Married on August 13, 1955, MJ and Vince enjoyed an enviable relationship full of laughter, love and family. They had seven children within their first eight years of marriage, and two more over the next eight years.

Eventually, they became Grandpa Vince and Grandma Mary Jane, who liked nothing more than popping a little champagne and toasting life. They celebrated big events like weddings and graduations, and smaller ones like first teeth and Scrabble championships with equal gusto.

My father in-law dressed well, with a crisp shirt, knotted tie and silk handkerchief tucked into his suit coat pocket. But he wore every T-shirt we ever gave him at least once when we came to visit.

Like George Burns and Gracie Allen, they played off each other, sang a little when prompted, and laughed a whole lot.

For their 50th anniversary they hosted a giant party at Arlington Park. The highlight of a glorious evening happened when the two of them took the mic, thanked everyone for coming, and then launched into a rousing rendition of “Our Love is Here to Stay.”

And it was. Sadly, though, my father in-law was not.

In a situation he blamed mostly on his gracious habit of standing every time a lady entered a room,  Grandpa Vince developed melanoma.

“It’s on the top of my head,” he’d say. “So MJ’s doctor never saw it because I stood every time she came in the room.”

Shortly after he hosted a “Celebration of Life” party at his home, Grandpa Vince died.

Still, as he would have wanted, we raised a glass to him and his lovely bride, the incomparable Outlaw Mary Jane, last night.

If you want to know about how love transcends time, and its infinite impact on the people it touches, take a gander at these pictures. Because it’s very clear.

The Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble

They’re only made of clay.

But their love is here to stay.

They started their marriage with a champagne toast and celebrated every milestone since.

That’s three generations of Vinnies, right there. We took that photo many times over the years, but this one is my favorite.

Here they are with another couple whose 60th wedding anniversary I was privileged to attend, Vinko and Mary Biskupic. This photo is from my own wedding 28 years ago.

I knew I would love this picture forever the day I shot it. This is Vince helping his dad with his tie at his sister Nancy’s wedding. Nancy and her husband Steve celebrated their 16th anniversary this month.

Here we are posed with Aunt Elaine during a big holiday Scrabble tournament.

A champagne toast master.

Grandpa Vince and Grandma Mary Jane made their way to Appleton on many occasions. This is them at Vinnie’s First Communion (with Aunt Donna on the right).

How ’bout those smiles!

The man loved the race track. Here he is a Hialeah.

A true wit, he wrote his own obituary, which ended with, “all things considered, I’d rather be at Hialeah.”

A dignified, fun-loving couple all their lives.

Here they are cutting the cake at their 50th wedding anniversary.

Still frisky.

The highlight of the evening was this rousing performance. Their love is here to stay.