Badger residents Gerald and Gloria Manning to celebrate 60 years of marriage

On November 8, 2019, this charming Badger, Minn., couple, Gerald (known to most people as Dale) and Gloria Manning, will have been married for sixty years.

An open house in their honor, hosted by their children, will be held at the Badger Community Center on Saturday, November 2, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Gloria Manning, daughter of Clarence and Bernice Herman, grew up in the Upham, N.D., area where her father farmed. The youngest of four children, Gloria was 12 years old when her mother passed away. She and her older sister, Audrey, continued to live with their father for some time.

Gerald Dale Manning, son of Edward and Virginia Manning, hailed from Bottineau, N.D. His only sibling, brother Wayne (deceased), was seven years older. Farming also played an important role in the life of the Manning family.

Dale and Gloria met for the first time out in the barn where she and her brother, Arlo, were milking cows.

“Dale and Uncle Maynard stopped by the barn on their way home from working at the Minot Air Force Base,” Gloria said with a smile. “I was sitting on a five-gallon pail and I wouldn’t get up because I had a hole in my pants!”

It was during the time the county fair was going on when Dale decided to give Gloria a phone call asking her to go with him.

Dale said with a twinkle in his eye, “She said ‘yes’ and it’s been going ever since. This was in July of ‘59 – we went together only four months and then we got married. Friends said ‘This will never last!’”

The couple was united in marriage at the Bloomfield Lutheran church in Upham, N.D. Gloria was attired in a beautiful, long white wedding gown of lace and netting overlay. The wedding party included the bridesmaid and groomsman, junior bridesmaid and junior groomsman, ring bearer and flower girl.

“It was snowing so hard we couldn’t hardly see when we got to Lila and Maynard’s for supper,” remarked Gloria. “A couple of cousins had ‘stole’ the car and hid it back behind the barn. We couldn’t figure out what had happened to it. The car tracks had been covered over with snow.”

At the young age of 29, Gloria was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. In early 2018, Gerald developed heart issues and underwent successful heart bypass surgery.

After visiting with this couple I came to realize they’ve remained strong and have taken the bad with the good …

“People give up too easy; while we both have been battling diseases, it has made us stronger. When the going has gotten tough we’ve hung together.”

Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary Gloria and Gerald Manning!

To see the complete story, read the October 23 issue of The Tribune in print or online.