By Steve Walker
In last week’s column I reminisced
down memory lane on various wedding venues where I performed those celebrations
during my tenure as a Justice of the Peace. I mentioned that I would in this week’s
column share with you some remembrances of particular weddings that ranged from
hilarious to extremely touching that even made me shed a tear.
I also stated that during
those years I was blessed to perform my share of ceremonies for the old as well
as the young alike to include people of all colors, ethnic backgrounds, and
those who were multi-lingual.
I was so excited to
perform weddings as a Judge that I acquired credentials as a wedding officiate after
I left the bench to continue to perform them.
Back then I officiated
over weddings in my court and out in public and private venues all over San Antonio
One of my first memorable
ceremonies in the courtroom involved an 81-year-old widow of 46 years who was
marrying her 78 year-old boyfriend. Gracious and soft spoken she brought some
of her friends along. Believe it or not she still worked part time as a
receptionist and her boss walked her down the aisle to give her away. She was a
lovely lady to say the least with a reddish tint in her hair, and sporting a
stylish print sun dress.
After the ceremony she
thanked me profusely and then apologized to me. Stunned I inquired why she
apologized. Her response was, “I am old!”
I looked at her and said,
“Ma’am, I am 62, you give me hope! She smiled with a twinkle in her eye and
introduced me to her 75 year old girlfriend!!!!
On another occasion I
happened to be standing at the front door of the court building talking to one
of the constable’s deputies who manned the desk and metal detector and directed
those people who came to do business, or pay a ticket or talk to a Judge, to
their destination.
A well-dressed lady asked
the deputy if he could direct her to a judge who could perform a wedding. He
pointed to me. I asked her when she wanted to get married and she responded
“right now.”
I continued, “Where is
your spouse to be? She responded “at Santa Rosa Intensive Care Unit.”
Surprisingly I didn’t blanch. She added, “Will you follow me to the hospital
now to perform the wedding? Un-phased from my numerous experiences I told her I
would be more than happy to do so. It was at the end of the day and I was off
the bench for the day.
She handed me the wedding
fee and said, “Let’s go, follow me.” Out the door we travelled to the hospital
in afternoon traffic. As we were walking down the hall at the hospital to his
room, we visited. Apparently he had suffered from an aneurism and was
recovering. Performing the wedding at his bedside with tubes up his nose I
pronounced them husband and wife, congratulated them as they beamed from ear to
ear and made my way back to the courtroom in shock!
Next week I will share
some more funny examples of weddings that brought laughter to the eyes of the
participants, those who attended and me.
And as always, what I
write is “Just a Thought.”
Steve Walker is a Vietnam
Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist.
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