Some things are worth waiting for, like love and, for Vincent and Eleanor Palumbo, St. Rocco Church. Eleanor and Vincent met through a mutual friend and dated for seven years, during which time Vincent served in the U.S. Army. Vincent proposed, and then it would be another couple of years before they they said their vows.

It was important for Vincent to be married at St. Rocco, the church he grew up in.

“It is a beautiful church. It’s a house of God,” he said.

Eleanor was happy to grant her fiance that wish, but she had one wish of her own – a Sunday wedding. Of Armenian descent, Eleanor was accustomed to Sunday weddings and didn’t want to compromise. She and Vincent spoke to the pastor at the time, and underwent marriage preparation classes to convince him.

On May 28, 1968, both of their dreams came true.

That morning, when Eleanor’s phone rang, she worried that Vincent had cold feet, but he was calling for a different reason.

“He said, ‘I’m just calling to say I love you, and I can’t wait to see you,’” she recalls.

Her memories from that day are still vivid. Her mother had planned the entire event, down to the very last detail. After the ceremony, the couple celebrated with 450 guests at the Venus de Milo. Their families and traditions blended together, as an American band played for four hours, followed by a four-hour Armenian band performance.

“We had a lot of fun ... all good memories,” Vincent said.

After the wedding, the Palumbos moved to Johnston together and have lived down the street to Vincent’s business, Palumbo’s Garage, ever since. The garage recently celebrated its 51st anniversary, just after the couple’s 44th anniversary.

“We’ve been very happily married for 44 years,” Eleanor said. “We’re very lucky.”