High school sweethearts celebrate 67th Valentine’s Day
Having a high school sweetheart may seem like a thing of the past but to Ginny and Ray Leonhard of Mineola, it is the most promising kind of love.
Back in 1945, Ginny Cortese was walking down the hallways of Woodrow Wilson Vocational High School in St. Albans when Ray Leonhard first laid eyes on her.
“I first noticed her beautiful figure walking down the hall of the school. I saw her for the first time and said wow,” Ray recalled.
“That figure has went far, far away!” said Ginny, who is now sporting the last name Leonhard. “I was a freshman and he was a junior…. He was running the Civil Air Patrol at that time. And he asked if anyone wanted to join. So I joined and we went from there.”
The young couple had no idea that their fate would lead down the path of being married for 67 years, tying the knot in October of 1948.
The loving couple has a special reason to look forward to this upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend, as Feb. 14 is the date the two got engaged.
“He proposed to me in his mother’s kitchen… it was cute. We celebrate and every year he gives me a heart, either a chain around the neck, or a ring or something with a heart. I have a lot of jewelry that consists of hearts,” said Ginny as she laughed.
Ginny said the fondest memory in her marriage has been the birth of her and Ray’s children. The two have two children, a son and daughter.
“It’s all good memories,” said Ginny. “We’re a very close family.”
The couple says staying close is always important.
“With Ray, he’s very good. Right now I’m going through a sciatic problem and he’s right there every minute to get whatever I need or take care of me. I do the same when he is sick. It’s just a mutual love for each other,” said Ginny referring to some of the darker days her and Ray have faced. “We are very supportive of one another,” agreed Ray.
Even when they were younger, Ray believed in taking care of Ginny and their two children.
“I had her stay home and take care of the family and kids,” Ray said. “I worked two jobs, sometimes three, to support her.”
Ray and Ginny both attribute his actions to growing up in a different time period. “That’s the good, old-fashioned way,” said Ginny.
For young couples who want to know the secret to a successful marriage, Ray said, “You have to be true. You can’t wander. When you make a commitment you have to stick with it. You don’t go elsewhere.”
Ginny attributes the success of her marriage to always being kind to one another and loving each other.
“When you have a problem you talk it out,” Ginny said. “There’s no winner or loser.”
