Rita TROZZY

1931 - ____

• BIRTH: 1931, Calumet, Cook, Illinois

• MARRIAGE: 10 MAY 1950

1.  David E KROL

INDEX

[N24326] South Bend area couple celebrates 70th anniversary

Ed, 92, and Rita Krol, 89, will celebrate their 70th wedding on May 20. They don’t expect too much attention because there hasn’t been a chance to plan with all the issues in the world. But it will still be sweet. They said they didn’t want a fuss or to talk about their marriage. After a while the stories spilled out and everyone laughed. “Thanks for stopping by. It is nearly time for a nap,” Ed said. “You made the afternoon go by quickly.”That’s my job - make the afternoons shorter. He also said I could make things up. That isn’t my job. He worked at Studebakers and had a car repair shop on the property on Johnson Road. She had several jobs including lunch lady at Crumstown School, assessor for the township, Varsity Shop at Notre Dame and a Raco employee. They said everyone knew each other in Crumstown. Everyone went to the small grocery store or the Conservation Club. There were summer movies on the side of the grocery building. They both were able to list all the friends who lived on the farms and houses.
It was a welcoming community, they said. Ed Krol and Rita Trozzy, knew of each other going way back. They both started life in Crumstown. Her family moved to Calumet for her father’s job. “He actually liked my older sister,” Rita said. “He thought I was a brat.” A family member sent him a picture of Rita and that’s all it took. He started to call on weekends and stayed with a relative nearby on the visits. Later, she moved back to South Bend to work at Wilson Brothers Shirt Factory on Sample Street before they married. They raised five children - David (deceased), Bradley, Janice (Rajski), Rebecca (Heckaman) and Barbara Krol. “There are 10 grandchildren and after that we don’t know. There are great-grandchildren but we lost count because there are step-kids,” Rita said. They fit together like a hand in glove. What would you expect after all these years? Secrets to a long marriage? “Sometimes you got to keep your mouth shut,” Ed said. Rita added, “Everyone has their ups and downs. We’ve been through a lot. Talk and don’t go to bed mad. Take time for yourself.” Ed added he is not above heading out the door for the garage if the situation calls for it. South Bend Tribune 5/10/2020

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