Fifth-generation North Fork wedding

I spent most of last week in the Seattle area officiating at a wedding. I have had the honor of doing this several times, and this is only the second time I felt it was worthy of mention in this North Fork column.

The first, which was the first ceremony I ever performed, was when I officiated at John Fredericks’ latest wedding when he married Sharon Costantino. That ceremony was performed in a meadow south of Polebridge, and the bride was delivered in the back of a pickup. Also, the ceremony was mostly attended by family and North Fork friends.

This most recent wedding took place more than 500 miles from the North Fork, but the groom is the fifth-generation of his family with North Fork ties. That makes his wedding of interest to North Forkers.

His great grandmother bought 160 acres on Trail Creek in the 1930s and was the last teacher at the Ford schoolhouse at Tepee Creek. When I was in high school, I tried unsuccessfully to buy that 160-acre Trail Creek property from Ruth Coan. Instead, it was passed on to her children. Her daughter, Florence, bought out her siblings and, in turn, she and her husband passed it on to their two daughters, Naomi and Maureen.

Naomi and her husband Duke were both schoolteachers in Spokane and always brought their children to the North Fork during summer break. As retirement age approached, the Hoilands began constructing their retirement home on Trail Creek. This multi-year project was made easier by visits from their children and grandchildren, and more fun, too.

Oldest grandchildren are Trevor and Tanor, and many of us have enjoyed their summer visits with their parents and, many times, with their teen-aged friends. Almost overnight it seems, both boys-now-men were off to college, graduated and now Trevor is married.

Lynn Ogle and I still believe we won the great water fight with the boys. In the last battle of that now famous war, we brought out the fire truck and really hosed them with a 2-inch fire hose. They maintain that was only one battle and they won most of the previous battles. Since Lynn and I are magnanimous by nature, we will not argue the point.

The wedding was beautiful. It was totally planned and scripted by Annik, Trevor’s beautiful bride, with Trevor’s help and support. I was impressed by how they incorporated the involvement of both parents and grandparents in the ceremony itself and the inclusion of both extended families in the festivities.

Both families are tremendous, and so were the bridesmaids and groomsmen. On both sides, they were attended by long-time great friends, and everyone had a sense of humor.

Finally, Annik’s grandfather, Charles Martel, sang the Louis Armstrong signature song “What a Wonderful World” at the wedding dinner, and I thought he was as good if not better than the more famous Armstrong.

I can’t wait to meet the sixth generation.