Readers' love stories, a match made in Gainsville by Penny Sheltz (PBP) 9-1-10Readers' love stories: A match made in Gainesville
Page 1 of 2
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 3.26 p.m, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010
1961 was the luckiest year of my life - the year I found my "needle in the haystack, " m y y incredible husband, Wally
We were both going to college in Gainesville. I was in the dorms and met a friend
perfect for each whose brother was president of
Pi Kappa Phi. She said we would be
p ch other, so she set us up on a blind date. We went to a
fraternity party and discovered we were both from opposite ends of Miami - and we
never would have met there.
Our attraction was immediate: He was gorgeous and still is. He has the best sense of humor. And since Wally was
the president of the fraternity and an aerospace engineer, I knew he was a born leader.
But what has kept us happy in love all these years is somethingbeyond instant a
we are both frugal, we had the same dreams for financial y attraction: We had the same goals,
independence, and we complement each other. He's
conservative, and I'm kind of wild - so we balance each other out.
We married in 1963, bought a small home, and, within a -few, our earsdaughter,
arrived. We added in dogs, cats, fish rabbits an yLisa, and our son, Walter,
d a monkey along their way,
And we created a strategy together to find success and financial security. We realized
harder, but we must work smarter b saving and investing y zed that we not only had to work
y g sting wisely. We did that through real estate - saving money,
then buying properties and doing all the maintenance ourselves, while workingour -
engineering and me in nursing. professional fobs Wally in
We designed our dream waterfront home when we were in college - and b 1969
dream home in North Palm Beach, where we still live today.
g y we were able to build that
Wally and I shared other dreams, too - including the desire to own oceanfront ro p party.
Our philosophy had been that all our properties had to have an income - so
would pay for itself? , we w ondered, what could we buy that
The answer came along by accident when we discovered the Juno Beach fishingi
admissions and sales of bait, tackle and food would a o pier was for sale. The
pay our mortgage and expenses.
In 1977, we bought the 500-foot pier, which had been standingin the ocean since 1
we did it all at the pier: From takingphotos of fishermen 949. In the next seven years:
p en with their prized catches to cleaning the fish to maintaining
the historic pier. (On the first floor was the restaurant and tackle shop, and we had an apartment we rented out on
the second floor.) p
In 1984, a huge storm with 20-foot waves damaged the pier, and we were forced to r
memories of those years at the Juno Beach pier are as vivid as theremove it in 1985. But the
sunsets we admire from the back yard of our
dream home in North Palm Beach.
Now we're retired and benefiting from all those years of settinggoals, working and 9 , g dreaming.
We made a "bucket list" of 150 countries we wanted to visit, and we've seen 108 so fa
r, Next up. Antarctica!
Also, we made a goal to go on 100 cruises, and we're setting out soon on our 91 st - on the Oasis, the world s
largest cruise ship.
We have another goal, too - to celebrate our 50th anniversary in three ears - and to
every day, that started with that blind date in Gainesvilley cherish all the moments, so many years ago.
Even though we've been around the world, Wally and I still have found no more beau
tiful place than home.
http://www.palmbeachpost.coin/accent/brides/readers-lov - - _
e stones a -match made-in-gainesv... 9/3 /2 0 1 0
Readers' love stories: A match made in Gainesville Page 2 of 2
Our love keeps getting stronger. And my husband is so wonderful. He's my rock.
He just gets better every year!
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