75 Years
Sometimes the smallest event can lead to the biggest decision.
For Myrtle, 93, and Marlin D. Sarvey, 97, of Prospect a balky car led to their meeting and the result was a marriage that will mark its 75th anniversary Sept. 24.
Myrtle said they met by chance when the car she was riding in broke down.
“I was almost 16 and I was introduced to him one evening. I was with some of my friends. The fellow I was with, well instead of him paying attention, Marlin was paying attention,” said Myrtle, who was then Myrtle Wolfe.
Said Marlin, “They got me out of bed. They told me their car was broken down.”
“My friends and I were out joyriding,” Myrtle confirmed.
“My sister's friend brought him around. I wanted to know what kind of guy is he. Does he smoke, drink, chew, curse? I wanted a decent man,” Myrtle said.
“The next week I was supposed to have a date with the other fellow,” she continued, “but we (Marlin D. and I) went steady from the time we started. My sister said 'you are too young to get serious,' and I said you know when the right one comes along.”They dated for two years and five months before tying the knot, despite some misgivings from Myrtle's sister.“My sister said, 'You're too young to get married. You're still wet behind the ears.' I told her whether you are 16 or 60, you know when the right one comes along,” Myrtle said.“I got a wonderful woman,” Marlin said.They were married in St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Butler when Myrtle was 18 and Marlin was 22 on Sept. 24, 1940.However, four years later, Myrtle was living alone in Prospect with two of her eventual five children while her husband was pulling a stint in the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va.“We moved to Prospect in 1944,” Myrtle said. “I had family in Butler. I learned to drive. My sister, Ruth, came out and helped a little bit,” she said.“I served less than a year from 1945 to 1946,” said Marlin. “They gave me credit for a year.”Myrtle said he was drafted despite being the father of two small children.
“He was making shells at the Pullman Standard factory. They deferred him three times,” she said. “They asked him what his choice (of service branch) was and he said, 'The Navy,' and he was drafted.”Marlin said he certainly didn't come home with any war stories. He was assigned to the USS Adirondack, an amphibious force flagship. The Adirondack was commissioned the same day Japan signed the surrender treaty: Sept. 2, 1945.“I was mostly in port. I was in this room, and I got the job of making the coffee. I didn't do much in there,” he said.After the war, Marlin became the founder and owner of M.D. Sarvey Plumbing and Heating. He retired in 1983 after working for 35 years.He said his son, Marlin F. “Sonny” Sarvey, learned the trade at his side.“Of course, everything is computerized now,” said the younger Sarvey, noting the business used to be heating, plumbing and roofing, but he phased out the roofing after 1982.The business has always been a family affair with Myrtle serving a stint as a bookkeeper.The Sarveys' five children — Marlin F., Shirley Bilowich of Butler, Peggy Goehring of Evans City, Ruth Fisher of West Liberty and Tammy Stewart of West Sunbury — will mark the anniversary with an open house Sept. 27 at their parents' home.It will make for a crowded house, as the Sarveys will be celebrating with 16 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“We had family get-togethers annually, I would say,” said Bilowich.“We used to do them at home, but it's been getting harder for mother,” said Goehring.“We had parties. We'd get together for all the holidays,” said Goehring. “When the house got too small, we had the parties down in the garage.”“They never seem to argue. They disagree, but I've never heard them yell at each other,” said Bilowich of her parents. “They are very respectful of each other.”“They are a team in the truest sense, an excellent example of a Christian loving marriage,” Bilowich said. “They are truly deep believers in the Lord. I think it shapes their relationship.”The Sarveys are members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Prospect.“I couldn't survive without him. He helps me every day,” said Myrtle. “He still likes to have a garden. He still likes to mow the grass, and I've always enjoyed canning and playing cards and camping.”As for advice on marital bliss, Myrtle said, “Never go to bed with anger in your heart. Pray and make it right before you go to sleep.”Marlin added, “We also try to lay close together. I put my arms around her and she always says 'Give me a kiss.' I think about her now as much as I did then.”
