It was love at first sight for a Lincoln couple who took their chance on a marriage just four months after they started dating.
On Feb. 11, 1949, Chris and Ignacia Hernandez vowed to spend the rest of their life together. True to their word, the two celebrated their 75th anniversary Sunday.
Chris Hernandez (left) and his wife, Ignacia, at their home in south Lincoln. The couple celebrated 75 years of marriage on Sunday.
The Hernandezes had a small wedding at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Julesburg, Colorado, where Chris was born, a few months after he asked Ignacia to marry him.
Chris and Ignacia began dating in October of 1948, in the town of Ovid, Colorado, where Chris lived during the time. Ignacia was living with her family in rural Ovid and made occasional trips to town. Living in close proximity, the two were bound to run into each other, and once they did, they formed an immediate connection.
“You know what they say, love at first sight,” Ignacia said.
Chris proposed to Ignacia in November of 1948, but they didn’t see each other more than a few times until the wedding.
“It was winter, no car, and I’d have to walk to town about 2 miles just to see him,” Ignacia said.
Chris would frequently drop notes to Ignacia in her mailbox as a way to stay in touch and plan their next meeting.
“Every time she’d come to town, I’d be there waiting for her,” Chris said. “While her family was buying groceries, she’d come outside, and we’d meet for a little while.”
Chris Hernandez and his wife, Ignacia.
Ignacia’s mother died just one month before Chris proposed to her. She needed somewhere to live, and marriage solved that problem.
A perchance meeting led to a perchance marriage that, because of the circumstances, Ignacia was having worries about. After all, they were only teenagers trying to figure out their place in the world.
“I didn’t know if it was going to work, you think about those things,” she said. “I did the best I could, and it worked, and I was happy.”
It’s safe to say that after 75 years of marriage, they made the right decision.
Ignacia Hernandez (left) kisses her husband, Chris, while they are reflected in a mirror that hangs over photos from their time together at their home in south Lincoln. The couple celebrated 75 years of marriage Sunday.
The Hernandezes have lived in Lincoln for 12 years. Prior to that, they’ve had stints in Ovid, Brule, Lodgepole, and Ogallala, where they’ve made some of their favorite memories.
The couple spent every weekend in Ogallala fishing at Lake McConaughy with their camper van, the same van they’d take on road trips to Husker football games.
“We very seldom missed the Nebraska game when we were in Ogallala; every weekend, we’d drive down to see the game,” Chris said.
With Chris at 95 and Ignacia at 90, the two aren’t able to hold up those traditions as much anymore but still manage to make time for each other, playing cards at night before bed and watching sports together when they can.
Old age hasn’t stopped them from bringing excitement into their life, as just five years ago, both Chris and Ignacia took turns riding a zipline over a small pond in the backyard of their son’s house.
“It was fun, but let me tell you it was scary. I told Ray, ‘I’m your Mother, don’t let me drown,’” Ignacia said.
Raymond Hernandez is just one of Chris and Ignacia’s four children. They also have 13 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
They planned to spend their 75th anniversary by going out to dinner with family, followed by a service at St. Peter’s Catholic Church.
Ignacia pointed to family as one of the reasons she and Chris have managed to sustain a long and happy 75 years of marriage. Another reason is how they handle conflict.
“They ask us, do you fight? Oh yeah, everybody fights,” Ignacia said. “I don’t waste time arguing; you go your way, I go my way, and when we’re ready, we’ll come back, and that’s the way we’ve done it.”
