Honeymoon still not over for Laconia couple married 72 years

LACONIA — Herb and Barbara Lauterwasser got plenty of exercise, focused on their family, were active at church, played musical instruments and ate in moderation.

They also have good genes.

Put it all together and they’ve been able to enjoy an extremely long and happy marriage.

The high school sweethearts will celebrate their 72nd wedding anniversary Friday at Lake Kanasatka in Moultonborough, where they honeymooned all those years ago.

They sat down in the sunroom of their cottage in the Taylor Community on Wednesday and reflected on all that has transpired since they were married in Chatham, New Jersey, on June 28, 1947.

The world has changed around them. Two months before their marriage, Jackie Robinson made history by breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Later that year, Charles “Chuck” Yeager flew his airplane at 700 mph to break the sound barrier. A loaf of bread cost 13 cents.

Band kids

The couple met in elementary school in New Jersey when he was playing trumpet in the 6th grade and she was playing the cello.

Like millions of couples, they were separated during World War II.

Herb was a member of the U.S. Army’s famed 10th Mountain Division. He recalls a “very, very, very rigorous” training program at 9,200-foot Camp Hale in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

“It was tough, but I enjoyed it,” he said. “You know, it was in the mountains. It was beautiful.”

He and his fellow soldiers also spent time training in Texas before being sent to fight in the mountains of Italy near Monte Belvedere.

Gunshot wound

He recalls being wounded.

Lauterwasser, a sergeant and squad leader, was standing next to his company commander when a German soldier on a ridgeline above them opened fire.

The commander was shot in the stomach and Lauterwasser was shot in the foot.

“I took my boot off and started crawling up the hillside and they launched a high compression bomb at me,” he said.

Other troops took out the German soldier.

Lauterwasser was left with an injury that led to hospitalization and a return to the United States. He found out later his company commander survived.

Stateside return

Lauterwasser’s next assignment was playing the trumpet in a band of combat infantry veterans that toured the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Barbara continued her education and kept in touch with Herb.

She studied history, took music courses and played cello in the Vermont Symphony.

“I graduated from Middlebury College in June of 1947, and then 10 days later we were married,” she said.

Raising a family

Over the years, she worked as a secretary, he as an insurance underwriter and they raised three boys and one girl. Eventually they had four grandchildren.

“It was good fun,” she said. “We lived where we were brought up in Chatham, so we had lots and lots of friends.

"We enjoyed our family so much, our kids.” 

They were involved in their church and in the choir. Herb gave private trumpet lessons. They vacationed in New Hampshire.

Herb and the boys skied together and the family hiked and climbed in the summer, including six trips up Mount Washington. Barbara's father bought a cottage in 1949 near Lake Kanasatka.

“Our kids all loved mountain climbing and the lake,” she said. “That was the specific reason for coming to the Taylor Community 19 years ago. The area was so familiar and we just loved being up here.”

Staying healthy

The Lauterwassers always stayed fit. Herb used to ski Gunstock five days a week.

They enrolled in a fitness class. They took walks. They have a stationary bike.

Barbara said they eat sensibly, but do not have a special diet.

They never smoked cigarettes. They have relatives who have lived well into their 90s. They seem to have a positive attitude.

“We enjoy life,” she said. “May as well stay healthy if possible.”

Herb continued to drive his car until last winter. He has some vision problems, but enjoys reading books on a computer tablet. They are conversant in the use of a computer.

And, they like to stay busy.

“We enjoy the Taylor Community so much,” she said. “The neighbors are great. There’s a lot going on. If you don’t take advantage of what they offer, it’s your own fault. There’s concerts and lectures. They take such good care of us.

“We’ve been here 19 years and couldn’t have made a better decision than to be up here.”

But now that the weather has turned warm, that cottage on Lake Kanasatka beckons and that's where they plan to spend some long summer days. 

Just like the honeymoon never ended.