SAN MARTIN
–– Mildred and Sandoe Hanna passed a milestone most people never
will: They’ve been married 70 years.
SAN MARTIN –– Mildred and Sandoe Hanna passed a milestone most people never will: They’ve been married 70 years.
“Can you imagine, 70 years? My God,” their son Roy Hanna marveled at his parents’ anniversary party Sunday at The Lions Club in San Martin.
Mildred Hanna, 90, is less in awe of her accomplishment.
“It just goes by so fast, you don’t even notice,” she said modestly.
She and Sandoe, 92, welcomed nearly 200 guests eager to congratulate the couple on a anniversary so rare, etiquette guides don’t even list an appropriate gift for the event. Experts recommend paper gifts for the first anniversary, crystal for the 15th, silver for the 25th, gold for the 50th, emeralds for the 55th and diamonds for the 60th.
The Hannas’ four children, William, Sandra, Roy and Tom, gave their parents turquoise jewelry to mark the anniversary – a bolo tie for Sandoe and a bracelet for Mildred. The Hannas proudly wore the pieces during the party.
The couple was married April 14, 1934, after a three-year courtship that began at a dance.
“It was lucky for me,” Sandoe said in 1999 at the couple’s 65th anniversary party. “I had to take my little sister and little brother to a teenage dance. (Mildred) was the oldest girl there. That’s when I got hooked.”
He stayed hooked for 70 years – and counting.
Sandoe is the great-grandson of former Gilroy mayor William Hanna, who came to Gilroy in 1854 and also served in the state Legislature. Hanna Street near downtown Gilroy is named in William Hanna’s honor.
Guests celebrating the Hannas’ 70th anniversary enjoyed food and wine catered by Val Filice, Gilroy’s famous garlic godfather. He’s become a tradition at the Hannas’ anniversary parties.
“He catered their 50th, 60th, 65th and now their 70th anniversary parties – for free,” said Roy.
Guests also enjoyed speculating on the Hanna’s secret to a long, successful marriage.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Norma Gwinn, who worked for Sandoe’s parents when she was a teenager. “I think their marriage was successful because they’re very compatible. She let him do his thing.”
Dee Spence, who also worked for Sandoe’s parents and considers herself to be his surrogate sister, agrees.
“They’re good people, and they kept their own identities,” Spence said.
Roy credited an abundance of patience for his parents’ long marriage.
“I think it takes a lot of patience with everybody, including us kids,” Roy said.
Mildred listed similar backgrounds and a down-to-earth attitude as key to helping her marriage last.
“We came from the same sort of people,” she said. “We never pretended to be anything fancy or sophisticated.”
The lack of pretense and happy marriage produced four successful children, who Mildred modestly acknowledges are her legacy.
“They’re very special,” she said.
He spoke fondly of a childhood filled with hard work and important life lessons.
“We grew picking prunes, shearing sheep, milking cows and working in Dad’s machine shop,” Roy said. “They gave us a great perspective on the world. They took high school groups on trips to Yosemite, San Francisco, all over.”
One trip – to see the 49ers – has had a lifelong impact on Roy.
“We went to see the 49ers in 1950, which profoundly affected me,” Roy said. “I’m a season ticket holder to this day.”
The Hannas did more than create a football fan, however, in the way they raised their children.
“All four of us grew up to be good people,” he said. “We’re all college graduates. There are two engineers, a police officer and a teacher.”
The scores of well-wishers bore evidence of the Hanna’s profound positive impact on a large segment of the Gilroy community. Tom Hanna, who came from his home in Juneau, Alaska, was thrilled to attend his parents’ 70th anniversary celebration.
“Seventy years is amazing,” he said. “I wasn’t about to miss this one.”
