Celebrating 60 years with faith, family

Celebrating 60 years with faith, family

BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Longtime Clarkston residents Connie and Fred Irish have seen just about everything in their 60 years of marriage.
High school sweethearts originally from Saginaw, the couple recently passed the milestone on January 27 enjoying the company of family.
“It was actually a very quiet celebration,” said Connie. “We got together with a couple of our daughters and had dinner. We’re going to wait and have a bigger celebration this summer. We’re going to have the whole family over to our place and have a big reunion.”
The couple has lived in both Clarkston and Independence Township for the past 48 years. They have four daughters who all live in Clarkston and went through Clarkston Community Schools, September (Doug) Racine, Rashalle Irish, Julie (Gene) Chamberlain and Missie (Matt) Mellen, in addition to nine grandchildren.
Truth be told, was it love at first sight?
“It was pretty close,” laughed Connie.
“Yeah, pretty close,” Fred added.
Their wedding date was January 27, 1962, tying the knot at Sheridan Avenue Methodist Church in Saginaw. Fred graduated from Saginaw High School in 1959 and Connie a year later. They were married during Fred’s junior year at Michigan Tech University.
“I proposed on the evening that I had to go back to Michigan Tech (in September),” remembered Fred. “I had been working long hours getting my painting job finished and I bought her a diamond ring. I took it and gave it to her in her parents’ living room with her parents right there. That was it. I think I surprised everyone with the timing of that. Then we went out to dinner and had a great evening. At about midnight, I jumped in a car with my friends, and we drove the eight or nine hours back up to Houghton.”
“I have to put this in there,” added Connie. “You know men. They can just eat and eat and eat. I was just so in love with my boyfriend, my fiancé at that point, and my ring that I couldn’t eat a thing. All I did was just look at this ring. Some people next to us said, ‘I think they are newly engaged. That young lady keeps looking at her ring, and he just keeps eating.’”
Fast-forward to 2022, and both Fred and Connie have answers on what the secret is to a long, sustainable marriage.
“I think, for one, recognizing that we are both individuals and that we don’t always agree on everything, but we respect each other’s opinions and talk things through,” said Fred.
“One of the most important things in our life is our faith and our church,” Connie said. “We are very active in our church (St. Trinity Lutheran Church in Clarkston). Our children are very faithful and were raised in the church. We’ve just been blessed.”
Fred and Connie were formerly members of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Being in Clarkston for nearly a half-century has been a source of pride for the couple.
“We had come through Clarkston on different occasions, and it was truly a small town at that time,” said Fred. “We liked everything about it, and we found an old house that we felt we could manage with repairs, so we bought it. We were there 16 years, and then we built a new house in the same neighborhood right on the other side of the lake, so we didn’t have to change neighborhoods.”
What keeps the couple in Clarkston?
“Our daughters are all moved out, but they all still live in Clarkston, all about 10-12 minutes from us,” Fred said. “They come over all the time with the grandchildren. We see them constantly. Even though Clarkston has gotten to be a little bit more busy, that’s fine, you know? We like the people, and we like the location. And our daughters like it, too, and they have stayed here, thankfully.”
In looking back on the past 60 years, both Fred and Connie said many things keep them going, but two in particular.
“We’ve had our differences, but she is just an awesome wife, mom, and grandma,” said Fred. “Everybody loves her, and so do I. She has so many great qualities.”
“He’s just as very nice man,” Connie added. “He loves his wife, loves his family, and together, we love our church. That has been a great gift, to have faith. When we have tough times, we just turn to the Lord, and he’ll help you solve your problems.
“Faith and family – what else do you need?”

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