Elizabeth and
Edward Marks
we do things together, we’re together a lot at this point in our lives,”
said Elaine, now 87. “My motto is, live today because you don’t know
what tomorrow brings.”
They also never let their age deter them. “Age never mattered
with us,” Elaine said, adding with a laugh, “He keeps up with me.”
For their anniversary, rather than have a lavish party, they went
out for a nice family brunch at the William Penn Inn with their chil-
dren, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

They both said they feel truly blessed.

“Elaine always says she’ll take another 65 years,” Jack said, to
which Elaine responded, “I sure will.”
For some, relationship origins can be summed up in a song.

Edward Marks started singing “Standing on the corner watching
all the girls go by … ” from Pal Joey when Elizabeth Marks recalled
how the two met. It’s a fitting song, since that’s pretty much how
Edward noticed Elizabeth in the beginning.

“We met in South Philadelphia,” Elizabeth Marks recalled. “My
husband-to-be was standing on the corner with his boyfriends be-
cause that’s what boys did — there were no malls to go to. He would
see me walking to my grandmother’s house. He noticed me and fol-
lowed me home one day and asked me for a date. That was our first
getting to know each other.”
For their first date, they went to the now-defunct Woodside
Amusement Park to celebrate his birthday. They began “courting”
but got interrupted when Edward went into the Army in the early
’40s, though they exchanged letters and kept in touch.

When he returned, he went back to his studies in electrical
engineering at Drexel University, while Elizabeth studied
secondary education at Temple University. They were married
April 13, 1946.

Now they have three children, eight grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren and have made 38 trips to Israel to visit their
daughter and family.

Their daughter had been a music major in high school, switched
gears to study nursing and then “decided to take time off and go to
Israel to help pick grapes, and she picked a husband,” Elizabeth said
with a laugh.

That daughter has been married 38 years, and the Markses have
taken the same number of trips to visit her, so until last year,
they never had to miss a wedding or a simcha because of the
distance. Now living in Willow Grove, Edward and Elizabeth credit love
for the not-so secret to reaching their 70th anniversary.

“I’d say love — getting us through problems, arguments, situations
but underlying of all of it is a deep, abiding love,” she said. “Love
and respect for each other. We’re thrilled with what we have, thrilled
with each other and thrilled with what we produced.” ■
Contact: mstern@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
Name: World Cafe Live
Width: 7.5"
Depth: 4.75"
Color: Black plus one
Comment: 10/27 Simchas Magazine
Ad Number: 00066114
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM SIMCHAS
OCTOBER 27, 2016
21