by Judy Williams

Ken and Susie Smith’s story started when Susie moved to Gregory from Inkster, when she was in seventh grade. Susie had beautiful waist-length, long blonde hair and was very pretty. This attracted Ken, who was in eighth grade. During this time in Stockbridge, students wanting a hot lunch would walk across the athletic field from the high school/middle school to the Smith Elementary School Cafeteria. On one of these walks, Ken and Susie met.

A couple of years later, Ken asked the 15-year-old Susie if she would go to a football game with him. He had just turned 16 and had his driver’s license. Susie’s memory of this first date is arriving at the game to have Ken’s mother, Barb, pressing her face up against the car window to get a look at the girl in the car with her son. This was the beginning of their long love story.

“I fell for this guy because he always kept me laughing,” Susie stated. “Plus, he lived on a farm with horses, and I always had wanted a horse.” 

You could say Ken and Susie’s marriage was double-blessed. On Aug. 10, 1974, they were married at the Gregory Baptist Church by both Susie’s uncle and the Gregory minister.

(Author’s Note: One wedding gift stood out from all the others, and they still talk about it today. Apparently, this author gifted them with a bullwhip, or so they say. I don’t remember doing it, but will take ownership. “I’ve only used it sparingly,” was the smart remark added by Ken.)

Another standout memory from the wedding is their car. Under the direction of groomsman Dwight Crow, the car was tightly packed full of newspapers and limburger cheese was placed on the car engine. Ken and Susie both vividly remember being at a car wash, at 2 in the morning on their wedding night, trying to get the cheese off the engine so the car would stop smelling. Of course, this was just a payback prank for the “special care” that Ken took with Dwight Crow’s car when the Crows were married a year earlier.

Looking back over the years, Ken and Susie mention raising their two beautiful daughters, Kristen (Matt) Hines and Kari Smith (Jared Houghton) as their favorite memory. Two grandchildren, Hailee and Austin, have added another layer of joy to life.

When asked about Ken’s special qualities, Susie stated, “I appreciate Ken for being such an excellent father. This is something I never had growing up.”

Ken quickly added, “Susie is an excellent mother and homemaker. She even puts up with my jokes.”

They both agreed that the strength of their marriage comes from common interests and the love of doing things together. They share the love of horse riding and, several times, have taken part in the “shore-to-shore ride” that goes across the entire state. 

Susie explained, “You start with walking your horse into one of the Great Lakes and then you have 10 days to make it to the other side of the state to walk your horse in the opposite Great Lake. We would ride 25-30 miles a day.”

Their other shared interests are travel, farming, landscaping, and family. Ken added “medical care” to their list.

When asked how they planned to spend Valentine’s Day, Susie had a story.

“In the early years of our marriage, Ken would give me plastic flowers because real ones die. One year, I really got excited because he walked in with real flowers. They weren’t for me! He bought flowers to cheer up one of our daughters, who was ill.” Susie added, “I was happy to have real flowers in the house, even if they weren’t for me.”

Susie’s advice for a long and happy marriage is, “Marry your best friend. Love is important, but during hard times, the friendship will carry you through.”

Of course, Ken had to butt in then and add, “Run like hell!” This last remark earned him an elbow in the ribs.