By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Bobby and Evelynn Lassere of Devine, 87 and 82, are celebrating 65 years of marriage this year. The Lasseres were kind enough to share their love story with us this week as we celebrate Valentine’s Day and think about this fun thing they call love.
Their love story didn’t begin with a super romantic first date or a fancy proposal, but it has culminated in a marriage that’s spanned six decades and then some.
The two love birds first met at a little cafe on the south side of San Antonio.
“I was in there eating a steak when the waitress said ‘hey there’s somebody back there in the corner that wants to talk to you. It was Evelynn and her sister. I thought she was a pretty good looking gal.”
Their first date wasn’t exactly what either of them hoped for though.
“We went to the drive-in theatre at Lackland, and I fell asleep,” he said with a chuckle, explaining he had a long day that day. “I called and asked if she wanted to go to a movie again the next weekend, and when I went over to her mother’s to pick her up, I brought a big bunch of marigolds with me. I minded my p’s and q’s! We went to the movie and straight home. I had to have her back by midnight.”
The marigolds came from his own crop, as he was farming flowers and vegetables at that time.
Mrs. Lassere recalls the couple writing love letters back and forth to each other when she went to West Texas to visit her grandmother for a short time during their courtship.
“It was just a few days, but you couldn’t call each other in those days. Everything was long distance.”
Mrs. Lassere also recalls, “Most of our dates were to the farm…I watched him pick flowers, and once in a while he’d bring some home for me.”
They got married at St. Joseph’s in South San Antonio on November 25, 1961.
The couple began their honeymoon in Castroville at a little hotel where the Bill Miller’s stands now, followed by a trip to the coast. They both laughed as they recalled, “We went out fishing for our honeymoon. I remember the boat captain stood up and said ‘I want to make an announcement. This couple just got married and he’s taking her fishing for a honeymoon!” Mr. Lassere said with a smile.
“It was funny, but we enjoyed it,” Mrs. Lassere added.
Then, “We rented an old, abandoned house for $30 a month,” Mr. Lassere said. “We didn’t have a lot of money to go anywhere, but we did a lot of puzzles and paint by number. We did everything together….If I went hunting or fishing, I always brought her along. I’d go buy some shotgun shells and bring home a rabbit to eat.”
“If it wasn’t for rabbits and ducks, we wouldn’t have had much to eat,” Mrs. Lassere reminisced fondly.
“We were broke, but we were happy,” they said, emphasizing that money troubles can’t outweigh love. They fondly recalled memories of all the ways they found a way keep the family fed and have fun.
“We just thought of each other,” Mrs. Lassere said.
“Yeah,” Mr. Lassere agreed. “When you love each other, you’re just happy and have fun anyway.”
They both laughed as they remembered how they brought home bull frogs for supper one night, and how they were leaping out of the pot!
Mr. Lassere warmly recollected how sometimes just taking a long drive through the Hill Country together was the only adventure they needed.
“Just about all I had was an old pickup truck. So we’d get a tank of full of gas, load up, and just go riding. We’d ride and ride. We’d take some barbeque with us and sometimes we’d stop and eat or camp by the lake.”
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When it comes to why Bobby loves Evelynn, he couldn’t quite put it into words. “It’s just something that happens, it’s not something you can point your finger at.” Photo by Kayleen Holder.