i loved my wife before i knew her and will until i die

I met my wife in February of 1969 at the Pasadena Lanes bowling alley in Pasadena, TX.

It was a youth night at Pecan Park Church of Christ, one of the Churches of Christ in Houston. This was a night of the Gospel Meeting (which usually lasted a week) in which the evangelist took time out from hollering at the members and hollered at the teens. Teens from all of the Churches of Christ around Houston came to be hollered at, then go to the bowling alley afterwards and hang around with their friends.

Friendships in the Churches of Christ were strong in the Houston area. The Churches of Christ had a camp called Camp Mohawk in Alvin, a sorry, swampy little camp with no a/c, no real comforts and was considered to be just this side of heaven by those who went to it, which was just about all of the kids from the Churches of Christ in the Houston area. We saw each other for a week at camp and that caused us to seek each other out at all of the “Monday Night Devos” which were youth events sponsored by the Houston area Churches of Christ.

Our circle was quite large, too, since the Church of Christ was big in Texas. And we knew people sometimes that we didn’t realize we knew. We would meet someone and realize that we had met at camp and were instant friends. We never passed up an opportunity to be together.

This was such an evening. It was a Friday night and we were told that everybody was going to the Pasadena Lanes for bowling. So I went.

I had my brother, Gerald, with me that night. He was 3 ½ years younger than I so he was not necessarily welcome. I lived in Texas City, 35 miles south, so I didn’t know much about Houston. I spent a fair amount of time trying to find the bowling alley. About the time I thought I would give up, there it was. We pulled up and I promptly ditched Gerald. I have no idea what he did that night.

I, on the other hand, walked into the Pasadena Lanes, looking about, scoping the situation and surroundings. One could imagine Clint Eastwood coming into the bar, checking out everybody, the theme music from Good Bad and Ugly playing in the background.

As I got my bearings, a woman came over to me and asked if I was by myself. I said yes. Faster than I could think, she picked me up and plopped me down in the midst of five girls. Needless to say, I was nonplussed.

One of the girls asked me my name and said she thought she knew me. I was either younger than her or older than her, but she thought I had gone to Houston Christian School, a defunct Church of Christ school. To me it sounded like a line, but I replied that I didn’t think so. But hey, she was a good looking girl, so I went along.

Her name was Ella Mochman. We talked and got to realize that we had something. I told her that I was about to move to Houston as I trying to get a job with the Telephone Company.

The other girls were surprised, since Ella had never gotten serious with a guy before and out of the blue, I came along.

Two of the other girls were really quite attractive, but Ella was who I looked at. There was something about her. I think I fell in love at the moment.

I asked her to let me take her home, she said no, she was on the church bus, she had better not, besides, I had my little brother. She really would have gotten into serious trouble if she had gone with me, in addition to blowing everybody’s mind. This was the good girl here who made great grades and was serious and all, and a guy – an older guy out of high school – comes in and clicks with her.

When I left, I promised to see her at the next Monday Night Devo, which would be in a couple of weeks. I hated to leave her, and she hated to see me go. Her friends were all over her when I left. I drove home in a fog.

Two weeks later I met her again at the Monday Night Devo in Clear Lake City. It was a huge affair. She was at the door waiting for me. I had a temporary job with Galveston County seeding the sea wall and other stuff and was quite sun-burned. Add to that, I had on an orange shirt with my sport coat and tie, and I stood out.

We sat together and held hands.

A couple of weeks later we got together for a concert at her church and things didn’t work out well between us.

I moved to Houston on April 4th, 1969. I had started my job at the Telephone Company the Wednesday before and had Good Friday off, so I had found an apartment and moved that day. Saturday, I goofed around.

Sunday morning, April 6, 1969, I was on the steps of her church, Sun Valley Church of Christ in Houston, two hours early. I thought I would give it one more shot. Her parents were early, she saw me. She was wearing a blue and white dress and was beautiful. I had on a black and white checked sport coat, a white shirt, black slacks and a dark red and black tie. Don’t why I remember that but I do.

She saw me and married me a year and a half later, merging her life with mine.

I loved her before I knew her and will until I die.