Tuesday, August 4, 2009 9:47 PM CDT
Brothers who married sisters now celebrate 50 years of marriage
By Dawn Schabbing, Features Writer
dschabbing@jg-tc.com
Church youth activities helped shape things. Their mother encouraged it. Economics played a part. The four agreed it was the right thing to do.
But that was only the beginning.
The two boys, Dane and John Henderson, graduated from Sullivan High School in 1951 and 1956, respectively. The two girls, Joyce and Nancy Johnson, graduated from Windsor High School in 1958 and 1956, respectively, each as valedictorian of the class.
Now, at least 50 years of memories have been built between a pair of sisters and brothers.
This week the families of the four — Dane and Nancy Henderson of Sullivan and John and Joyce Henderson of Springfield — will celebrate the day when the two couples — two brothers and two sisters — were married in a double wedding ceremony.
The ceremony on Aug. 9, 1959, was officiated by three ministers and attended by hundreds at the Windsor Christian Church.
The Rev. Howard McFadden of the Broadway Christian Church accepted the wedding vows of John Henderson and Joyce Johnson. The Rev. Lyle Jesse of the Findlay Christian Church heard the vows for Dane Henderson and Nancy Johnson. The Rev. Ken Monson of the Windsor Christian Church opened and closed the ceremony, naming the two couples husband and wife.
Like many couples, each pair courted for a period of time before tying the knot. The girls became friends with John Henderson when Windsor Christian Church and Smyser Christian Church near Gays would hold youth functions together. Their relationships took their own paths at different points: college, seminary, careers and military.
But as the wedding neared for Dane Henderson and his bride-to-be, Nancy Johnson, wheels started to turn for the mother of the bride, Lucille Johnson. Her husband, George Johnson, was killed in Italy during World War II. She raised her two daughters, who at the time were only 3 and 6, and a son, Jim, 7, alone.
“Our relatives were scattered out east. Mother asked me if John and I planned to get married,” said Joyce Henderson, 68, of Springfield. “She mentioned that relatives who lived out east might not be able to make two weddings in a year. Fifty years ago, traveling back and forth across the country was much different. It just wasn’t done easily.”
When Joyce told her mother that yes, she and John Henderson did plan to marry, her mother asked if they would consider a double wedding.
“We sort of joke that Mom proposed for John,” Joyce said. “John and I basically decided at Christmas (1958) that we would get married the next year. We had talked about it but hadn’t really made it official to the family yet.”
One might think it would be a big inconvenience: the wedding gown for one daughter had been purchased, the material for the bridesmaids had been purchased and the wedding invitations were printed. But the four agreed, why not double up?
“We just had the invitations reprinted,” said Nancy Henderson, 71, of Sullivan. “We were pretty close, and I didn’t give it much thought. It seemed like a good idea. I was also busy with (college) exams that summer.”
Her husband, Dane Henderson, 76, said: “Her family (relatives) were all over, and when word got out that we were having a double wedding, her mother got letters from everyone, all over the place, saying, ‘We want to be there.’”
All four said the double wedding drew plenty of attention. The event at the Windsor Christian Church was standing room only, with an estimated 450 in attendance. An uncle escorted Joyce Johnson down the aisle. Their brother escorted Nancy Johnson. A cake and punch reception followed at the church.
“So, really, the double wedding came about more out of convenience, and for the economics of that time,” said Joyce Henderson.
In the end, the girls selected identical wedding gowns; each couple had its own wedding cake; and the material originally purchased to create bridesmaids’ dresses for the first wedding was used to add one additional dress for a maid of honor.
Dane and Nancy Henderson took a honeymoon trip to Eureka Springs, Ark. John and Joyce Henderson spent their honeymoon in a new motel in Decatur.
“It was great for us, said John Henderson, 71, of Springfield. “It made the day easier, because all eyes weren’t on just us.” The couple have resided in Springfield since 1970.
“For planning purposes, it was a good decision. It was wonderful that all of the family was able to come,” said Joyce Henderson. “One of the nicest things was we never had to think about where we’d be going for the holidays. We would each be going to the same place, and being with the same in-laws.”
Dane and John Henderson said having their children all grow up together has made them a close family. The couples and their children would often go camping together. At one point, early in their marriage, the four took a trip to Niagara Falls.
“All of this brought us closer together as a family,” Nancy Henderson said. “Our kids were always close growing up. At times, I had a houseful of kids here — mine, hers, and friends — between 2 and 4 years old.”
Dane and Nancy Henderson are the parents of Cindy, Randy, Sherrie and Lyle. They have nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
John and Joyce Henderson are the parents of Dee, Tammy and Mike. They have one grandchild.
John Henderson became an ordained minister, and also earned two master’s degrees. He retired after 35 years working with the Department of Children and Family Services. Joyce earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and worked 10 years in the banking industry, retiring as the assistant budget director at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine after 15 years of service.
Dane Henderson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial education. After being drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1955, he returned home and earned a master’s degree in education. He taught for 20 years, including 13 years in the Mattoon school district. He retired from teaching and began working at Illinois Consolidated Telephone Co., Mattoon, where he retired after 17 years. Nancy earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education. She was a homemaker, and later worked at R.R. Donnelley, before retiring.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the couples’ children are hosting an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Smyser Christian Church, located about 2 miles north of Gays.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or 238-6864.
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kamfong wrote on Aug 10, 2009 6:52 AM: