The Kreager family of Oak Harbor is celebrating 180 years of marriage without a divorce. The achievement is noteworthy not only because 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, but also because all five couples married their high school sweethearts.
 
The five couples, all Oak Harbor graduates, are Don and Bonnie, who will celebrate their 60th anniversary on October 26; son Randy and his wife Nancy (Gyde) (36 years); son Jeff and his wife Deb (Harder) (36 years); son John and his wife Laurie (Krasniewski) (24 years); and daughter Mary and her husband Dave Buehler (24 years).
 
All four children and their parents married young. Don was 20; Bonnie, 18; Randy, 21; Jeff, 19; John, 23, and Mary, 22. The achievement is more remarkable because 60 percent of marriages between couples under age 25 end in divorce.
 

Stable loving families like the Kreagers benefit both society as well as family members--society from less crime and social dysfunction; family members from emotional support and access to help with finances, chores, advice and connections to a wide network of friends and colleagues. These benefits can make social and home life more fulfilling while also enhancing careers. 

(L to R) Jeff & Debbie Kreager: David & Mary Buehler: Bonnie & Don Kreager: Nancy & Randy Kreager: Laura & John Kreager.

The Kreagers have shared all these benefits. Randy, a dentist with Oak Harbor Dental Care, influenced Mary to choose a career as a dental hygienist; Jeff and John work at Kroger where their father worked for 29 years; Don works part-time with son Jeff at his lawn-mowing business.
 
“We’ve all succeeded, not only because of the love in our lives, but also because we were taught to work, that there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of sweat in our lives,” said Randy, the oldest at age 56. He added that his father worked two jobs while Bonnie stayed home to raise the kids. After the kids left, Bonnie worked 19 years for the Village of Oak Harbor.
 
Mary, the youngest at age 46, said setting a good example is Don and Bonnie’s legacy. “They were always a team. Both worked well together. My father would cook the meat and never hesitated to clean up the kitchen. They both took equal responsibility. They were very loving with each other,” she said.
 
This example of shared responsibility and a loving touch is still important to the Kreager children even though they left the homestead long ago. On the dining room wall, photos of all 27 family members are grouped around a sign they gave to their parents. The sign reads, “All because two people fell in love…”
 
Those two people married while Don was on a three-day leave from the Army. They are still in love today and a few family members took time to share their secret recipe, which to most of you, will be no secret at all.
 
The first thing that came to Don’s mind was not speaking your mind when you feel the need to argue. “Say yes when you should be saying no.”
 
Bonnie says showing affection is important. “There’s always a kiss in the morning and a kiss at night and a `I love you.’”
 
The two also share common interests. Both love sports, boating, camping and traveling. They shared these interests with their children and continue to share them with their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Family traditions they have established include a weekend camping trip to Mohican State Park and making ham and cheese sandwiches on Christmas Eve. There are also regular get-togethers to celebrate birthdays or special occasions. For example, the family traveled to Florida last year to surprise Don on his 80th birthday.
 
It’s one thing to talk family values it’s another to live them. Randy said Don and Bonnie lived them. “If you raise your kids right, and we were raised right, you pick up the examples and your values are in place.”
 
Those values, beside hard work, shared responsibility, demonstrated affection and spending time together, also include faith and discipline. Don and Bonnie said they stressed the importance of faith through their membership at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church and both said they were not afraid to hold their children accountable.
 
That faith and sensitivity to each other helped them get through their toughest time together. That was when Bonnie delivered an 11-pound stillborn son in 1958.
 
Both Mary and Randy said their parents have always been fun-loving people who share their joy of life with their children, their friends and those who have married into the family.
 
Nancy Kreager, Randy’s wife, appreciated the welcome family members extended to her as well as their “energetic” approach to life.
 
She said, “I think I fell in love with the family before I fell in love with him.”
 
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