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| Doreen and Joe: Prom 1970 |
Last autumn Joe and Doreen Trimboli came to the resort to
celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Back in 1970, when the
couple started dating, they had no idea that it would be almost 40 years before
they finally tied the knot. Joe still remembers the first night they met. “I
went to a dance at Methodist church. I saw this good-looking girl with green
eyes and red hair, and she stole my heart.”
Doreen laughed as she said, “We got along well and we
dated – eventually we went to the prom together. But that summer, my family
moved away from Mishawaka, Indiana. I lived all around the country, and it
wasn’t until 2001 when I came back to take care of my ailing parents, that Joe
and I reconnected, with some help.”
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| Doreen and Joe on heir wedding day |
Help came in the form of Joe’s sister, Jenny who was a
manager at a mortgage company where Doreen worked. Jenny encouraged Joe to call
Doreen, and after some sisterly prodding, he did. “I thought he wanted to apply
for a mortgage,” Doreen said, “so I took all of my mortgage forms when I went
to meet him. I was totally focused on work, and he had other business in mind.”
But things progressed smoothly from there and on November 27, 2006, Joe and
Doreen eloped to Las Vegas.
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| Joe and Doreen at French Lick Resort in November |
Last fall, as their tenth anniversary approached, the
Trimboli’s decided to do something different. “We wanted to celebrate our 10th,
which is 70 years in dog years, someplace special,” Doreen said. Dog years? “We
started telling people we were married in dog years since we started so late.”
Joe continued the story, “Doreen and I were looking for a
getaway and her brothers suggested French Lick Resort. They had been to a golf tourney
during the summer and said how nice it was.” But, Joe was apprehensive at
first, “I was a school administrator back in the 1980s and I had seen the hotel
when Sheraton owned it,” Joe said. “The place was dilapidated. Doreen and I
checked it out on line and it was a very pleasant surprise. I thought I had
been everywhere in Indiana, but to find a gem like this was very satisfying.”
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| French Lick Springs Hotel Lobby |
Doreen continued, “From the time we stepped into the lobby
(of the French Lick Springs Hotel), it was amazing – there was such attention
paid to details – chandelier, gold trim, paintings, it made us feel like we
were in Europe. It was very regal, and the staff at the front desk were
gracious and knowledgeable.”
Joe agreed, “The hospitality was terrific, and everyone
was happy to be there.”
Will it take another milestone event to bring them back?
“We absolutely will be back,” Joe said. “In fact, we’ve already discussed it
with our families and we’d like to plan a reunion with relatives from Texas,
Kentucky and Pennsylvania.”
By Joy Neighbors