Tom and Helen Carey celebrate 60th anniversary

Tom and Helen Carey celebrated 60 years of marriage last week with a huge gathering at the ranch. Their kids, all eight of them and their spouses, organized a 'surprise' party for them. All those years ago, Helen said that her Mom made her dress and her grandparents had a greenhouse in which they held peonies - white and pink - so they would be just right for the wedding, in Williston, North Dakota. Bouquets of peonies have become an annual blessing at the Carey home. Grandsons, Steven Carey and J.T. Hansen, manned the grills, while others made sure all of the food was ready for the 90 plus guests. Eight children, 21 grandchildren, and 7 great-grand children are some of the legacy of Tom and Helen. The rest of the story is below and written by Shannon Carey Smith.

Helen came from Williston, ND in the fall of 1956 to attend Carroll College. Sometimes she'd come to Boulder for the weekend with a classmate whose father was the head of the State Training School. Dr. Westwell gave Helen a tour of the school. She decided then that she wanted to work there, as she loved working with kids. She returned in the fall of 1957 to teach music.

Tom first set eyes on Helen when she was waiting tables at the church's annual fall dinner in Boulder. He even offered to wash dishes that night with hopes of being introduced to her. When she was done with her shift she took off her apron and left.

So it was by way of a blind date that same fall that they finally met. Tom's sister, Jo Phelan, asked Helen to join them when they were shipping cattle. Tom happened to bring along an extra horse and so they went for a ride. When it was time for Helen to leave that night, Jo volunteered Tom to drive Helen home. The rest, as they say, is history.

They both knew by the 2nd date that they'd met their mate. They shared the same faith, had common values and were both from big families. And they both knew they wanted to have a big family as well.

On June 23, 1958 they were married