Wedding bells ring for Kernville couple
|
Valerie Cassity
Special to the Sun
Sometimes, love flashes brightly and burns out quickly. Other times, love meanders along, patiently strolling through the garden of life awaiting just the right moment to spring. This Saturday, the legendary Jeanette Rogers will add a hyphen to her name when she weds Charlie Erickson after an 11-year romance. “We’ve been dating 4,195 days and now we’re finally getting married,” says Erickson, adding, “Jeanette was worth waiting for.”
The pair met in 1999, when a newly-widowed Erickson had been talked into running for Whiskey Flat Mayor as “Harley” Charlie in an attempt to cheer him up and give him a task. Donning his miner costume, Erickson set out to solicit funds for the race and walked into Rogers’ office, where she was immediately impressed with him. “I thought he looked so cute in his flat miner’s hat and I got a kick out of seeing a man his age take the time to do something to preserve the community,” Rogers says, giggling like a schoolgirl.
Soon after, Rogers went to the South Fork Women’s Club meeting and there he was again, with his posse of Whiskey Flat helpers selling raffle tickets. Erickson sat beside Rogers at the meeting, and she thought he was nice and so called him a couple of days later to invite him to have coffee. Rogers says that the reason she called was to ask him to consider being a mentor to the boys at Camp Erwin Owen, which, of course, he did. “She called and asked me out on a date,” says Erickson, and Rogers playfully swats his arm denying it. Whether it was a date at not, coffee at Cheryl’s Diner became a regular occurrence for Erickson and Rogers, and remains so to this day.
Erickson still maintains his career in Los Angeles, and so leaves the Kern Valley at 6 a.m. on Monday and returns at 5 p.m. on Friday every week to get ready for his weekly date night with Rogers. During one such night in 2001, Erickson took Jeanette to Café Med in Bakersfield, where she noticed during dinner that someone was walking through the restaurant with a giant bouquet of flowers. She turned to Erickson to tell him that ‘someone was going to be surprised,’ and found him down on his knee, proposing. The entire restaurant cheered when she said yes. But, that time marriage was not meant to be for the couple. After a year-long engagement, Rogers returned Erickson’s ring, saying that she didn’t know how she could fit being a wife into her work and community responsibilities, and encouraged him to date other women. He took the ring back, said, “Okay, but are we still on for our date next Friday night?” Rogers told him “Sure,” and believes that that moment was the beginning of their real romance.
Continuing to date, Erickson and Rogers spent many years of Friday night outings happy with the arrangement. Then, a little over a year ago they attended the anniversary party for Rogers’ son, who wrote a note with a couple of words to describe why everyone at the gathering was important to him. Rogers can’t remember what her son wrote about her, but remembers with great clarity what he wrote about Erickson, because the words opened her eyes and her heart. “The note said ‘The reason I value Charlie is that he is a man with a steadfast heart,” remembered Rogers. “After that, I looked at him through new eyes and thought that he was someone to really treasure and cherish.”
While the note from her son paved the way, what turned the tide in favor of marriage for Rogers was when, last November, Erickson, who had never subscribed to any religion, became a Christian and began attending church with her every Sunday. As a woman of strong faith, Rogers said that any man she married must share her religious beliefs, and that Erickson’s decision to do so made a huge difference to her.
At the beginning of this year, Rogers and Erickson were going on one of their Friday night dates to That’s Italian, but when they arrived Erickson told Rogers he had forgotten his credit card and had to return home to get it. He went into the house and hurried back to the car, telling Rogers that there was something she had to see inside. Worried about losing their reservation, Rogers followed and was awestruck when she walked into the house and found the front room completely transformed into a romantic floral wonderland, with an elaborately set table for two, candles, and soft music playing in the background. Erickson’s daughter, Jan Mazzone, had decorated the house and prepared a gourmet meal for the love birds, and half way through dinner Rogers slid from her chair to give Erickson a hug in thanks, and was on her knees when he reached around to bring out a jewelry box with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Once again, Rogers said yes. This time they both know it will stick, and with the wedding only days away, they are both so excited that they’re glowing.
After the wedding, Rogers is taking a month off of her job at the Kern Valley Healthcare District, a position from which she is retiring at the end of year. It’s time to focus on being a wife and enjoying her golden years. “I’m going to learn to cook something besides Top Ramen,” said Rogers of her plans after retirement.
Best wishes to Charlie and Jeanette for a marriage that is just as extraordinary as the courtship has been!
