CONCORD — Although the 12th anniversary of 9/11 will be a day to remember with sadness, the date will be observed with gladness by Charles “Chuck” and Effie Seran. That’s because on that day they’ll celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
She was 18 and he was nearly 20 when they married Sept. 11, 1943 during his 72-hour pass from the U.S. Navy. Little did they know back then that 58 years later — in 2001 — Sept. 11 would go down in infamy as the date of the worst terrorist attack in American history.
Like everyone else, the Serans remember exactly where they were when they learned that the unbelievable had happened. They were on the Commodore Barry Bridge, heading for a dental appointment in New Jersey when they heard the horrific news on the car radio.
Recalling happier moments, the couple spoke fondly of their wedding in a small church in New Jersey during World War II. She wore a light blue suit and matching hat; he wore his Navy uniform. But he’d left his hat behind at the church, so on their overnight honeymoon in Atlantic City, he bought one from a boardwalk vendor.
“If I’d been caught by the shore patrol, I’d have been in the brig instead of with my bride,” Chuck Seran said.
The Serans met in July 1941 at a dance hall when a handsome young man asked a pretty 16-year-old to dance. They were compatible on the dance floor — and compatible in life ever since.
Not that there haven’t been challenges in seven decades of marriage. For instance, being apart from her husband while he served in the Navy from January 1943 until November 1945 wasn’t easy for the new bride. That was, of course, long before text messaging, email or Skype that keeps military couples close in touch nowadays.
Chuck Seran was in the glass-making business, but knowing he’d be drafted soon, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was in the Armed Guard, whose mission was to carry supplies and troops across the Atlantic by convoy to various locations overseas. He was a signalman on the bridge of one of the cargo ships, using flags and light sources to send coded messages.
While he served in the military, his wife lived with her parents in Colwyn. For her part in the war effort, she worked at the Ford Motor Co. plant in Chester. Her job was to put heavy black tape on tanks, brought in on flatbed trailers, to seal out moisture before shipment overseas.
When the war in Europe ended in 1945, Seran was honorably discharged early because he was a new father. The couple’s only child, son Clifford, was born Dec. 278, 1944. Seran learned the happy news while stationed in Belgium. The Serans also have three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
After his discharge, they lived in Colwyn before moving to Upper Darby and eventually to Maris Grove retirement community in Concord.
He retired in 1990 after 44 years as an auto service manager, mostly with a Clifton Heights Chrysler dealership. She worked for 17 years as a court matron at the Media Courthouse, escorting juries to and from the courtroom.
Another challenge came to the Serans when, at age 78, he was the first person in Delaware County diagnosed with West Nile disease. But after being in a coma for 10 days, he recovered with no ill effects.
“They called me ‘The Miracle Man,’” he said.
As for the secret of a long marriage, the couple agreed it takes a lot of “give and take” to keep love alive.
“I still call her my bride,” Seran added with a smile.
His wife smiled back.