‘Model Couple’ Celebrates 71st Wedding Anniversary
Ed and Frieda Cohen built an exceptional marriage together, founded on a true sense of partnership and mutual respect. Now residents of Parker at Stonegate assisted living in Highland Park, they recently marked their 71st wedding anniversary surrounded by admiring staff and new friends, also receiving warm greetings from local friends in the community.
They met at a USO dance, in Houston, Texas. Ed was a U.S. Army soldier serving in the Pacific during World War II, who was on leave and visiting the area. Frieda was active in a local service organization and had come out to show support for the troops.
Funny thing is, Ed wasn’t exactly planning to be there. He was on leave, lost his wallet, and the USO told him that he had to show up at a service center in Houston to get replacements of his identification. While he was there, he decided to attend the dance.
Ed was interested in the attractive young woman he met at the dance but realized that he didn’t remember her name. Luckily, he stayed in town to observe Yom Kippur at a local temple and spotted one of Frieda’s friends on the way to services. He asked for Frieda’s name and tracked her down after the holiday.
A courtship started, with many dates to movies, dinners, and dances. The romance continued after he returned to fighting. The war ended and they were married on January 27, 1946 at Frieda’s home in Houston.
In 1951, Frieda and Ed moved to New Jersey to be closer to his mother. They eventually relocated to Highland Park where they remained for decades. Ed worked in a luncheonette and pipe store, Rivoli, on George Street in New Brunswick. Later he owned a television rental service and had 38 hospitals under contact. He eventually sold the company to Sylvania. Frieda was an active homemaker, raising their two daughters.
They traveled together often, visiting every one of the US national parks. They toured Italy, France, Norway, and Venezuela, and made over 20 trips to Israel. They also made community involvement a high priority, with Ed serving for over a decade as a vice president of the Highland Park Conservative Temple and Center.
At Parker at Stonegate, where they have lived since March 2015, Ed and Frieda remain quite active. They enjoy exercise classes, weekly music performances, movies, and Bingo. And they are regular attendees at weekly and holiday Jewish religious services.
Parker is proud to join with Frieda and Ed in marking their 71st wedding anniversary and looks forward to celebrating more milestones with this model couple.