Palatine residents Dorothy and Gene Hlavacek are preparing to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend but they will not be the only Hlavaceks honoring this milestone.
Gene's nephew, Jim, and his wife Rhoda, of Lake Forest, are also celebrating their 50th anniversary.
In addition, each couple has a son who will be celebrating a 25th wedding anniversary. Kenneth and Deanna Hlavacek, of Bolingbrook, and Scott and Jeanne Hlavacek, of Libertyville, were married in 1984.
"You don't see 150 years of marriage anymore," Kenneth Hlavacek said.
The party is Saturday, June 27, at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights. The couples are expecting 140 guests from all over the country.
Dorothy and Gene Hlavacek were married in May of 1959. Their honeymoon was interrupted seven days later so Gene could serve as a groomsman in his nephew's wedding. Jim was called to Air Force duty and wanted to marry before leaving.
"It's not the original intent but it's worked," Rhoda Hlavacek said.
Dorothy, Gene and Jim grew up in Chicago, attending the same schools. Bill Hlavacek set Dorothy up with his brother Gene but Dorothy was hesitant at first, not knowing that Gene was much younger than Bill.
"Good lord, this man is old enough to be my father and he's trying to shove his brother on me," Dorothy recalls of her initial reaction, which wasn't born out. "Bill was right. We were made for each other."
Jim Hlavacek met Rhoda at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, while he was in the Air Force ROTC. Eugene also served in the Air Force.
The couples would double-date during the holidays when everyone was home.
"His nephew Jim is more like a brother to him," Dorothy said.
In June of 1960, about a year after getting married Dorothy and Gene welcomed their first child, Kenneth. Two weeks later Jim and Rhoda had Scott.
"Everything seemed to happen a week apart at that time," Rhoda said.
In 1984, Eugene and Jim celebrated 25 years of marriage with their wives alongside William Hlavacek, who was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary.
That same year Kenneth married Deanna, originally of Port Byron, Ill. The two met at Southern Illinois University when they were both serving in the Air Force ROTC. They wanted to marry before reporting for Air Force duty but a priest would not marry them if they were not living together and the Air Force would not let them live together if they were not married. Thus, they eloped in March and held a formal ceremony in Palatine that September, with Scott serving as a groomsman.
"They had two marriages - can you believe that," Dorothy asked.
In between the two ceremonies, in June of 1984, Scott married Jeanne, originally of Belleville, Ill, whom he had met at Illinois Wesleyan University.
All those marriages have resulted in lots of offspring. Jim and Rhoda have three kids and three grandkids, two of whom are Scott and Jeanne's. Dorothy and Eugene have five kids and 11 grandkids, four of whom are Kenneth and Deanna's.
Deanna, now a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, departs for Kosovo in January, while a son, Douglas, 20, is in Iraq in the Army, and another son, Thomas, 18, is starting Iowa State's Air Force ROTC program in the fall.
"Where this Army kid came from I don't know," Kenneth joked.
Gene, Scott and their wives have spent many anniversaries together. They've celebrated in Las Vegas, Alaska, and on a cruise through the Mediterranean. Last November, they celebrated their 50th anniversaries early, taking a ship across the Atlantic and spending five days in Italy.
Gene's nephew, Jim, and his wife Rhoda, of Lake Forest, are also celebrating their 50th anniversary.
In addition, each couple has a son who will be celebrating a 25th wedding anniversary. Kenneth and Deanna Hlavacek, of Bolingbrook, and Scott and Jeanne Hlavacek, of Libertyville, were married in 1984.
"You don't see 150 years of marriage anymore," Kenneth Hlavacek said.
The party is Saturday, June 27, at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights. The couples are expecting 140 guests from all over the country.
Dorothy and Gene Hlavacek were married in May of 1959. Their honeymoon was interrupted seven days later so Gene could serve as a groomsman in his nephew's wedding. Jim was called to Air Force duty and wanted to marry before leaving.
"It's not the original intent but it's worked," Rhoda Hlavacek said.
Dorothy, Gene and Jim grew up in Chicago, attending the same schools. Bill Hlavacek set Dorothy up with his brother Gene but Dorothy was hesitant at first, not knowing that Gene was much younger than Bill.
"Good lord, this man is old enough to be my father and he's trying to shove his brother on me," Dorothy recalls of her initial reaction, which wasn't born out. "Bill was right. We were made for each other."
Jim Hlavacek met Rhoda at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, while he was in the Air Force ROTC. Eugene also served in the Air Force.
The couples would double-date during the holidays when everyone was home.
"His nephew Jim is more like a brother to him," Dorothy said.
In June of 1960, about a year after getting married Dorothy and Gene welcomed their first child, Kenneth. Two weeks later Jim and Rhoda had Scott.
"Everything seemed to happen a week apart at that time," Rhoda said.
In 1984, Eugene and Jim celebrated 25 years of marriage with their wives alongside William Hlavacek, who was celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary.
That same year Kenneth married Deanna, originally of Port Byron, Ill. The two met at Southern Illinois University when they were both serving in the Air Force ROTC. They wanted to marry before reporting for Air Force duty but a priest would not marry them if they were not living together and the Air Force would not let them live together if they were not married. Thus, they eloped in March and held a formal ceremony in Palatine that September, with Scott serving as a groomsman.
"They had two marriages - can you believe that," Dorothy asked.
In between the two ceremonies, in June of 1984, Scott married Jeanne, originally of Belleville, Ill, whom he had met at Illinois Wesleyan University.
All those marriages have resulted in lots of offspring. Jim and Rhoda have three kids and three grandkids, two of whom are Scott and Jeanne's. Dorothy and Eugene have five kids and 11 grandkids, four of whom are Kenneth and Deanna's.
Deanna, now a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, departs for Kosovo in January, while a son, Douglas, 20, is in Iraq in the Army, and another son, Thomas, 18, is starting Iowa State's Air Force ROTC program in the fall.
"Where this Army kid came from I don't know," Kenneth joked.
Gene, Scott and their wives have spent many anniversaries together. They've celebrated in Las Vegas, Alaska, and on a cruise through the Mediterranean. Last November, they celebrated their 50th anniversaries early, taking a ship across the Atlantic and spending five days in Italy.