Palmer couple marks 70 years

The U.P. Catholic

“I never dreamed of this coming up—70 years. They’ve been good ones,” said Teresa Leivo, a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Palmer. She and her husband Melvin celebrated their 70th anniversary of marriage on Aug. 28, 2024.

Teresa recalled when she first met Melvin. She said that when they met, she was 16 and he was 17. “A group of friends and I were walking along in Ishpeming. A car came by a few times driving around and in it were a group of guys from Palmer. They kept coming down to Ishpeming and going for rides. My friend told me I got the best of the bunch.”

The couple married when Teresa was 18 and Melvin was 19, “so I didn’t need to get my parents’ permission,” Teresa said. The couple married at St. John the Evangelist in Ishpeming, where Teresa had previously been baptized and confirmed.

Teresa said that though they had five children, she never had too much difficulty keeping them in line as they grew up. “We have four daughters and a son; I kept busy!” she said. Teresa also said that she was used to a large family, having come from a family of 10 children, whereas Melvin was an only child.

In addition to their five children, the Leivos have been blessed with six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Melvin is not Catholic himself, but Teresa said that he has still occasionally attended Mass with her and was not opposed to their children being baptized Catholic. “He’s not Catholic, but it’s been good,” Teresa said. The couple said that when they were younger, they enjoyed camping. As they have gotten older, they have enjoyed dancing more often. Much of their present time is spent with family. Teresa said that their children that live close to them in Palmer always have an easy path to the house, and regularly spend time with them.

The Leivos consider time spent together as a family to be the highlights of their many decades of marriage. Teresa recalled how when their children were younger, Melvin would take the family on Sunday rides in the car and then they would enjoy a big dinner together in the evening. “We’d also go camping every summer—lots of family stuff,” Teresa said.

One of the Leivo’s daughters, Debbie, said that her parents are the oldest couple living in Palmer. “Two years ago for our sesquicentennial they were one of two couples to be the grand marshals,” she said.

Melvin offered advice for newlywed couples. “You’re bound to get in an argument,” he said. He described it as a normal and natural part of marriage, and added, “Don’t go away mad. You walk out the door, don’t slam the door. Go cool off and come back. There’s no such thing as a perfect family. If we’re mad at each other, we kiss and make up.”

The pair attended the annual Milestone Wedding Mass at St. Peter Cathedral on Sept. 8, 2024, and were one of two couples present celebrating 70 years of marriage. “Even the bishop didn’t believe it was 70 years!” Melvin said with a laugh, recalling a conversation that they had with Bishop John Doerfler after Mass while he was greeting couples that had been in attendance.

Fr. Larry Van Damme, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help said of the Leivos, “Teresa and Melvin are very beloved in Palmer, and at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church—where we are proud of their 70 years of marriage.  It is a delight to visit their home and to journey in faith with them, and with their children.”

“God’s been so good to them,” said Debbie Leivo, one of their children. At the party celebrating their 70th anniversary, Debbie recalled that she said to her parents, “Mom and Dad, your journey together has shown us the power of love and commitment … The most romantic love story isn’t Romeo and Juliet who died together, it’s our parents growing old together.”