UNION, NJ — Countless individuals look to Irvington as the beginning of their story, including one elderly couple who began their married life in the town. Charles W. Sommer Jr. and Rose Sommer, both 92 years old, wed on Aug. 19, 1951, making Aug. 19, 2021, their 70th wedding anniversary. The two, who now live in Union, have had their share of ups and downs, but their one constant was never leaving each other’s sides.
Now, after 70 years together, the couple recounted their humble beginnings as newlyweds from Bloomfield who became some of the first occupants to move into Maple Gardens Apartments at 20 Marshall St. in Irvington. According to Charles, they were once known as the Parkway Apartments.
“We both were 22 years old when we got married,” Charles said in an Aug. 13 interview at the Sommer home. “We got married in Bloomfield Sacred Heart Church. We met at work, and we were employed by Firemen’s (Insurance Company) Loyalty Group in Newark. I was an assistant casualty underwriter in the casualty department and my wife, Rose, was a filing clerk. She had an occasion to come around to my department and we struck a friendship. Within six months, we were engaged, and six months later, we were married.”
After getting married, the couple struggled to find a decent place to live.
“For our honeymoon, we went to Atlantic City for two weeks and, when we returned, we had to find a place to live,” Charles said. “So, we went to a furnished room in Bloomfield — and it was just a bedroom, you might as well say — with a little kitchenette. We couldn’t cook or anything like that; just a hot plate was there, and we had to go out for our meals.
“Then we decided we couldn’t continue living like that. So, we then moved to the (Maple) Garden Apartments in Irvington, and we were on the sixth floor there, when they were called Parkway Apartments — when they were first built. We were one of the first occupants. We had a one-and-a-half room there.”
According to Charles, he wasn’t making a lot of money in those days, and Rose added that he was making just $25 a week. Luckily, Charles’ father was able to help the newlyweds find their feet and helped them get that Maple Gardens Apartment.
“My husband wasn’t making enough money so they wouldn’t let us move in and they told us that we couldn’t afford this. They told us unless we can get someone to vouch for us, we couldn’t move in,” Rose said. “We had to ask my husband’s father, who was the tax assessor of Union. We brought him with us, and they told us that if we couldn’t pay the rent, in case I became pregnant, what would we do? His father told them he would vouch for us and would pay the balance of what his son couldn’t pay. That got us in.”
The couple then went on to live on Montrose Terrace in Irvington, a side street near the parkway, in a second-story apartment. The couple stayed there for a short time before deciding it was time to have a baby. The couple then moved to Sheridan Street, near Chancellor Avenue, where their daughter had her own room. They stayed there for four years, with the couple sleeping in the dining room of the first-floor apartment, before moving to Union.
The couple ultimately had three children, Susan Junice, David and Brian; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
They admit that getting married when they were 22 years old wasn’t easy.
“We were like two children getting married,” Charles said. “We don’t regret anything. We’ve had our problems just like everyone else. As far as regrets are concerned, we’ve never regretted anything.”
Despite her 2005 diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and her recent Whipple procedure to treat the disease, Rose is a survivor and Charles is always standing beside her.
“We rely on each other, and family can only help you but so far,” Charles said. “We’re very proud of our family — our children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren that we have. Everyone has grown up the way we taught them. It’s been a wonderful life with Rose.”
Rose agreed.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we came through, especially with my illness,” she said. “This illness took the life out of me, and just walking from the door to the next house is important for me to do, but it’s hard. It hasn’t been easy, but this is where we are — 70 years.”
Photos by EmilyAnn Jackman
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct a spelling error.
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