Couple celebrate 70th anniversary

DOWNEY - James and Arlene Fackrell will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary Monday.They met on a blind date while in high school. When Jim saw Arlene, he told his friend, "I am going to marry that girl." A year after finishing high school, they were married on Valentine's Day 1941 in Huntington Park. Both of their parents objected to the marriage and did not think it would last. It did not take long to see they were wrong. They planned on a honeymoon in Santa Barbara, but it was raining so hard Pacific Coast Highway was flooded. They made it as far as Santa Monica before they had to turn back to their rented court in East Los Angeles, only to find a bed full of rice, compliments of Arlene's sister. Jim worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 17 years. He then went to work for Pennzoil for 26 years before retiring. Arlene worked for See's Candies, off and on, for 50 years. They moved to Prescott, Ariz., from Downey in 2006. They have four children, Claudia (Joe) Jay, Carol (Jack) Diffey, Curt (Amy) Fackrell, of Prescott, and Cathy (Tom) Davis of Woodland Hills, Utah. They have eight grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Jim and Arlene will celebrate their anniversary with family at the Hassayampa Inn in Prescott.

********** Published: February 10, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 43