In July, Larry and Marie Finnegan will celebrate their diamond anniversary as they ring in their 60th year of marriage. The Finnegans have been living on Tahanto Trail since they moved to Harvard in 1965. Looking ahead to Valentine’s Day, Larry and Marie spent a recent snowy afternoon reflecting on their long, happy marriage.
How did the two of you meet?
Marie: We both grew up in Newton, and we met senior year in high school. We started dating on Dec. 5, 1947.
Marie and Larry Finnegan are chauffeured down Mass. Ave. as the grand marshals of last year’s Fourth of July parade. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
How is it you still know the day?
Marie: There was a big blizzard. We went with my brother up to his girlfriend’s house in Chestnut Hill and walked up Route 9 almost to Wellesley. There was a Louis/Walcott fight, and we watched that.
Larry: It was snowing like heck. And it was late when we got home. I got home around 4 a.m. to an enthusiastic mother, who was furious as to where I’d been.
What did you first fancy about each other?
Larry: I heard a lot about her through her brother. I got interested in her, hoped she would feel the same. We went out on that first snowy night, and we just clicked. When I met Marie—wow! She was great.
Marie: My brother used to talk about him, things they had done together. Larry came to the house, he seemed nice.
Larry: I knew a knife from a fork.
Marie: When my brother asked if I’d go out with him, I said that would be nice. And we hit it off. I really enjoyed meeting him. We had a good time with each other.
How long did you date?
Marie: Eight years. When I was away at school in Connecticut, I met somebody who went to Lesley College in Cambridge, and I said, Oh that would be great, I can be close to Larry! So I transferred in September, and then in January Larry was drafted and went to Korea. All that trouble to be with him, and then he left me!
Larry: It wasn’t very polite. But we were happily rejoined. Marie’s a good letter writer. In those days we didn’t have other ways of keeping in touch. I’d like to think we wrote every day, but it was far from it. Every time I got a letter in hand, though, I’d put one in the mail. Shows you how far away it is. What’s a piece of paper? Back then, a lot.
Marie: We were married in 1955, and then in 1956 we went to California so Larry could finish school. I taught elementary school. That’s where Steven was born. We came home in 1960 and lived in Watertown. We didn’t want to bring up children in California. And then we moved to Harvard in Dec. 1965, right before we had our fourth child.
Larry: I found Harvard just driving through here. It knocked me for a loop. I showed it to Marie, and we liked it together. I thought it would be a good place to grow up. Farming was still a big activity back then; there were only 2,700 people here. It was a place your family could be a family. When we moved here there were kids all around. The kids would sled down the hill here, going—whew!—like rocket ships. There was no traffic. The town was very congenial, very friendly. It was a characteristic I never found anywhere else. Everyone greeted everyone when they saw them. People talked to each other, and if they saw someone they didn’t know, they’d say hello. That was the way it was, it was extraordinary. It’s a characteristic I kind of miss. We were in a lot of cities before that. But Harvard was unique. Our four children grew up and went to school here. We met people and we liked it. We walked the beautiful trails here all the time. We got involved in town affairs, Marie in the school. She was instrumental in founding the PTA in Harvard.
Marie and Larry Finnegan model the latest attire at the 2009 COA fashion show.
You both have a history of volunteering with the town.
Larry: I was on the Board of Selectmen, a lot of committees: Agriculture, Conservation Commission. We wanted people to be able to see the town, to get out and look at Harvard and walk the trails, cross-country ski, see the beautiful places here. It was encouraging in those days to be on the committees because you were making decisions that were needed by the town. A small town requires a participatory effort on behalf of its citizens. Harvard is unique. I don’t know of a place that is more accessible or more welcoming to people to join committees than Harvard, to participate in the government. I know when I was a volunteer with town government, the people I worked with I really enjoyed. I marvel at their generosity, what they’ve given the town. You have to admire people who go outside themselves to do things.
Marie: Larry helped start the Conservation Trust, the Middle School Building Committee. He was very active. I did volunteer work. We both worked on elections—I’ve been doing that for over 40 years. We’re always so busy.
Larry: And Marie was the mother of the year. We have four great children. They make it easy.
Do you have any advice for us?
Larry: Have a lot of activities in common. We made it a policy to travel, and to have the kids travel with us, together. They are much more sophisticated travelers than I ever was. We’ve had good mutual friends, which helps. In a small town you get to spend more time together. It encouraged the kids to be close together. And all their adult relationships are close and constructive. Community enriches our life, gives us common denominators that we share.
What do you appreciate and enjoy about each other now?
Larry: I’ve come to be more impressed and more appreciative of Marie, who she is, and why she’s like she is, as she’s grown as a person. She’s interesting, smart, generous. And in our family, everyone loves Marie.
Marie: He’s always taken good care of me and been thoughtful, kind.
What is it like to be married for 60 years?
Marie: It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. It seems like it’s gone very quickly, all of a sudden. We’ve been happy. Our children kept us a family unit; it’s not just the two of us. We have had great times as a group. They all stayed around, in Stow, West Concord, and Harvard. We’re all together a lot and spend a lot of time as a family. They are great children, they were so easy bringing up, they’re just lovely.
Larry: Every day is different to me. Kids, grandchildren have been a great common denominator, holding us together. It gets better.
